CARROLL 
ATWOOD 
WILSON 


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ISLAND     STORIES. 


LION  BEN 


ELM 


BY 


REV.  ELIJAH  KELLOGG, 

AUTHOR  OF  "8PAKTACUS  TO  THE  GLADIATOE8, 
"GOOD  OLD  TIMES,"  ETC. 


BOSTON: 
LEE    AND     SHEPARD. 

1869. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 

LEE    AND    SHEPARD, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


ELECTROTYPE!)  AT   THE 

BOSTON    STEREOTYPE    FOUNDRY, 

19  Spring  Lane. 


ELM  ISLAND  STORIES. 


1.  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

2.  CHARLIE    BELL,  THE    WAIF   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

Others  in   preparation. 


PREFACE. 


IF  the  writer  ever  tasted  unalloyed  happiness, 
it  has  been  when  exciting  to  manly  effort  a  noble 
boy,  whose  nature  responded  to  the  impulse  as  a 
generous  horse  leaps  under  the  pressure  of  the 
knee. 

Hours  and  years  thus  spent  have  brought  their 
own  reward.  The  desire  to  meet  a  want  not  as 
yet  fully  satisfied,  to  impart  pleasure,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  inspire  respect  for  labor,  integrity,  and 
every  noble  sentiment,  has  originated  the  stories 
contained  in  the  "  Elm  Island  Series,"  in  which  we 
shall  endeavor  to  place  before  American  youth  the 
home  life  of  those  from  whom  they  sprung;  the 
boy  life  of  those  who  grew  up  amid  the  exciting 
scenes  and  peculiar  perils  and  enjoyments  incident 
to  frontier  life,  by  sea  and  land  ;  in  fine,  that  type 

(5) 


O  PREFACE. 

of  character  which  has  transformed  a  wilderness 
into  a  land  of  liberty  and  wealth,  and  replaced  the 
log  canoe  of  the  pioneer  by  a  commerce,  the  mar 
vel  of  the  age ;  —  to  the  intent  that,  as  insects 
take  the  color  of  the  bark  on  which  they  feed,  they 
also  may  learn  to  despise  effeminacy  and  vice,  and 
sympathize  with,  and  emulate,  the  virtues  they 
kere  find  portrayed. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEB 

I.     ELM  ISLAND  ............ 


II.  THE  RHINES  FAMILY  .........     25 

III.  TIGE  RHINES  ............     39 

IV.  BEN'S  COURTSHIP  ..........     50 

V.  SALLY  TELLS  HER  MOTHER  ALL  ABOUT  IT.     .     64 

VI.  BEN  BUYS  ELM  ISLAND  ........  .    70 

VII.  CAPTAIN    RHINES   RIDING   OUT   A   GALE   BE 

FORE  THE  EIRE  .........     77 

VIII.  BREAKING  GROUND  ON  ELM  ISLAND.  ...     88 
IX.  Too  GOOD  A  CHANCE  TO  LOSE  ......  107 

X.  THE  SURPRISE  PARTY  .........  US 

XI.  THE  CHRISTENING  ..........  122 

XII.  THE  PULL-UP  ............  127 

XIII.  INJURED  PEOPLE  HAVE  LONG  MEMORIES.      .  135 

XIV.  BEN  CONFIDES  IN  UNCLE  ISAAC,  AND  is  COM- 

145 

FORTED  ......... 

XV.    ENCOURAGING  NATIVE  TALENT  ......  153 

XVI.    BEN  OUTWITTED,  AND  UNCLE  ISAAC  ASTON- 

1fi4 
ISHED  ............ 

(7) 


8  CONTENTS. 

C1IAPTEB  PAGE 

XVII.  THEY  MARRY,  AND  GO  ON  TO  THE  ISLAND.     .  172 

XVIII.     THE  BRIDAL  CALL 184 

XIX.     AN  UNGRATEFUL  BOY 193 

XX.  PETER  CLASH  AND  THE  WOLF-TRAP.    .     .     .  201 

XXI.  WHY  THE  BOYS  LIKED  UNCLE  ISAAC.       .     .  210 

XXII.     BEN'S  NOVEL  SHIP 224 

XXIII.  PETE,   IN    QUEST    OF    REVENGE,    COMES    TO 

GRIEF.    .  ...  245 


LION  BEN  OF  ELM  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ELM    ISLAND. 

IN  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  many  ro 
mantic  spots  on  the  rugged  coast  of  Eastern  Maine 
lived  Captain  Ben  Rhines.  The  country  was  just 
emerging  from  the  terrible  struggle  of  the  revolu 
tion,  and  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  had  settled 
very  slowly.  The  older  portion  of  the  inhabitants, 
now  living  in  frame  houses,  had  been  born  and 
passed  their  childhood  in  log  camps. 

Captain  Rhines's  house  stood  at  the  head  of  a 
little  cove,  on  the  western  side  of  a  large  bay, 
formed  by  a  sweep  in  the  main  shore  on  the  one 
side,  and  a  point  on  the  other,  called  (from  the 
name  of  its  owner,  Isaac  Murch)  "Uncle  Isaac's 
Point." 

A  small  stream,  that  carried  a  saw  and  grist 

mill,  found  an  outlet  at  the  head  of  it,  while  the 

9 


10  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

milldam  served  the  inhabitants  for  a  bridge.  A 
number  of  islands  were  scattered  over  the  surface 
of  the  bay,  some  of  them  containing  hundreds 
of  acres ;  others,  a  mere  patch  of  rock  and  turf, 
fringed  with  the  white  foam  of  the  breakers. 

At  a  distance  of  six  miles,  broad  off  at  sea,  in  a 
north-westerly  direction,  lay  an  island,  called  Elm 
Island,  deriving  its  name  from  the  great  numbers 
of  that  tree  which  grew  on  its  southern  end. 

As  we  shall  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  this 
island,  it  is  necessary  to  be  particular  in  the  de 
scription  of  it.  It  was  about  three  miles  in  length, 
rocks  and  all,  by  two  in  width,  running  north-east 
and  south-west,  and  parallel  to  the  main  land. 
From  the  eastern  side,  Captain  Rhines's  house  and 
the  whole  extent  of  the  bay,  and  Uncle  Isaac's 
Point,  were  visible.  Nature  seemed  to  have  lav 
ished  her  skill  upon  this  secluded  spot. 

The  island  was  formed  by  two  ridges  of  rock 
forming  the  line  of  the  shore,  the  intervening  valley 
dividing  the  island  nearly  in  the  middle.  These 
ridges  sloped  gradually,  on  their  inner  sides,  into 
fertile  swales  of  deep,  strong  soil.  The  shores 
were  perpendicular,  dropping  plump  down  into  the 
ocean,  being  in  some  places  forty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  water.  They  were  rent  and  seamed 


ELM    ISLAND.  11 

by  the  frost  and  waves ;  and,  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks,  the  spruce  and  birch  trees  thrust  their  roots, 
and,  clinging  to  the  face  of  the  cliff,  struggled  for 
life  with  waves  and  tempests. 

The  island  would  have  been  well  nigh  inacces 
sible,  had  not  nature  provided  on  the  south-western 
end  a  most  remarkable  harbor.  The  line  of  per 
pendicular  cliffs  on  the  north-west  ran  the  whole 
length  of  the  island,  against  which,  even  in  calm 
weather,  the  ground-swell  of  the  ocean  eternally 
beat.  The  westerly  ridge,  which  was  covered  with 
soil  of  a  moderate  depth,  gradually  sloped  as  it  ap 
proached  the  south-western  end,  till  it  terminated 
in  a  broad  space  occupying  the  whole  width  be 
tween  the  outer  cliffs,  and  gradually  sloping  to  the 
water's  edge.  This  portion  of  the  island  was  bare 
of  wood,  and  covered  with  green  grass.  The  east 
ern  ridge  terminated  in  a  long,  broad  point,  covered 
with  a  growth  of  spruce  trees,  so  dense  that  not  a 
breath  of  wind  could  get  through  them,  and,  curv 
ing  around,  formed  a  beautiful  cove,  whose  precipi 
tous  sides  broke  off  the  easterly  sea  and  gales. 

Into  the  head  of  this  cove  poured  a  brook,  which, 
like  a  little  boy,  had  a  very  small  beginning.  It 
came  out  from  beneath  the  roots  of  two  yellow 
birch  trees  that  grew  side  by  side  in  a  little  stream 


12  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

not  more  than  two  inches  deep.  As  it  ran  on,  it 
was  joined  by  two  other  springs,  that  came  out 
from  the  westerly  ridge.  The  waters  of  these 
springs,  together  with  the  rains  which  slowly 
filtered  through  the  forest,  made  quite  a  brook, 
which  was  never  dry  in  the  hottest  weather. 

At  certain  periods  of  the  year  the  frost-fish  and 
the  smelts  came  up  from  the  sea  into  the  mouth  of 
this  brook.  The  cove,  also,  was  full  of  flounders 
and  minnows,  eels  and  lobsters,  and  abounded  in 
clams.  The  fish  attracted  the  fish-hawks  and 
herons,  who  filled  the  woods  with  their  notes. 
Sometimes  there  would  be  ten  blue  herons'  nests 
on  one  great  beech.  The  fish-hawks  attracted  the 
eagles,  who  obtained  their  principal  living  by  rob 
bing  the  fish-hawks.  The  wild  geese,  coots,  whis 
tlers,  brants,  and  sea-ducks  also  came  there  to  drink. 
This  was  not  the  natural  habitat  of  the  large  blue 
heron,  their  food  not  being  found  there  to  any 
great  extent,  as  the  shores  were  too  bold,  and  the 
waters  too  deep ;  their  favorite  feeding  grounds 
are  the  broad  shallow  coves,  where  they  can  wade 
into  the  water  with  their  long  legs,  and  catch  little 
fish  as  they  come  up  on  the  flood  tide ;  but  they 
prefer  to  go  after  their  food,  rather  than  abandon 
this  secluded  spot,  where  they  are  secure  from  all 


ELM    ISLAND.  13 

enemies,  and  where  the  tall  trees  afforded  these  shy 
birds  such  advantages  for  building  their  nests.  As 
for  the  fish-hawks,  who  dive  and  take  their  food 
from  the  water,  it  was  just  the  place  for  them. 

There  was  also  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  west 
ern  ridge  a  swamp,  a  most  solitary  place,  so  thickly 
timbered  with  enormous  hemlocks  and  firs,  mixed 
with  white  cedar,  that  it  was  almost  as  dark  as 
twilight  at  noonday.  Here  dwelt  an  innumerable 
multitude  of  herons,  where  they  had  bred  undis 
turbed  for  ages.  Much  smaller  than  the  great  blue 
heron,  they  built  their  nests  in  the  low  firs  and 
cedars;  and  as  they  fed  upon  frogs,  grasshoppers, 
mice,  tadpoles,  and  minnows,  they  were  not  obliged 
to  leave  the  island  for  their  food :  they  were  per 
fectly  at  home  and  happy. 

They  belonged  to  that  species  called,  by  nat 
uralists,  ardea  nycticorax.  The  inhabitants  called 
them  squawks  and  flying  foxes,  from  the  noise 
they  made.  Like  all  the  heron  tribe,  they  are  ex 
tremely  quick  of  hearing,  and  feed  mostly  in  the 
morning  and  evening  twilight,  half  asleep  through 
the  day  among  the  branches  of  the  firs,  standing 
on  one  leg.  They  make  shallow  nests  of  sticks, 
and  lay  three  or  four  green  eggs.  You  may  walk 
through  their  haunts :  all  is  still  as  death,  appar- 


14  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

ently  not  a  heron  on  the  island,  while  thousands 
of  them  are  right  over  your  head,  and  all  around 
you,  listening  to  every  step  you  take,  the  slightest 
noise  of  which  they  will  hear,  when  you  do  not 
notice  it  yourself.  Crack  goes  a  dry  stick  under 
your  foot;  you  catch  your  toe  under  a  spruce  root, 
and  tumble  down  ;  instantly  the  intense  stillness 
of  the  woods  is  broken  by  a  flapping  of  wings  and 
rustling  of  branches,  succeeded  by  quaw,  quaw, 
squawk,  squawk,  producing  a  chorus  almost  deafen 
ing.  The  sound  they  emit,  which  is  a  union  of 
growl,  bark,  and  scream,  comes  from  their  throat 
with  such  suddenness,  breaking  upon  the  deep  si 
lence  of  the  woods,  like  the  whirr  of  the  partridge, 
that  it  will  make  you  jump,  though  you  are  pre 
pared  for  it  and  accustomed  to  it.  Then  you  will 
see  them,  after  flying  to  a  safe  distance,  light  on 
the  tips  of  the  fir  limbs,  holding  themselves  up 
with  their  wings  on  the  bending  branch,  like  a  bob 
olink  on  a  spear  of  herds-grass,  from  which  they 
will  in  an  instant  crawl  down  into  the  middle  of 
the  tree,  sitting  close  to  the  trunk,  where  it  is  im 
possible  to  see  them.  You  must  therefore  shoot 
them  when  they  are  on  the  wing,  or  at  the  mo 
ment  they  light. 

They  will  bear  a  great  deal  of  killing,  and  even 


ELM    ISLAND.  15 

make  believe  dead.  I  knew  a  boy  once  who  shot 
four  squawks,  and  after  beating  them  with  an  iron 
ramrod,  left  them  tied  up  in  his  pocket-handkerchief 
at  the  foot  of  a  tree  while  he  was  clambering  up 
after  eggs- :  when  he  came  down,  two  of  them  had 
crawled  out  of  the  handkerchief  and  run  away. 
They  will  show  fight,  too,  when  they  are  wounded, 
bite  and  thrust  with  their  bill,  and  scratch  terribly 
with  their  claws.  As  if  to  compensate  for  the  hor 
rible  noise  they  make,  the  full-grown  male  is  a  very 
handsome  bird.  The  top  of  the  head  and  back 
are  green,  the  eyes  a  bright,  flashing  red,  and  just 
above  them  a  little  patch  of  pure  white.  The  bill 
is  black,  the  wings  are  light  bluer  the  back  part 
and  sides  of  the  neck  lilac,  shading  on  the  front 
and  breast  to  a  cream  color,  and  the  legs  yellow. 
From  the  back  part  of  the  head  depend  three 
feathers,  white  as  snow  and  extremely  delicate, 
rolled  together,  and  as  long  as  the  neck. 

The  mouth  of  the  little  brook  of  which  we  have 
spoken  was  a  very  busy  place  when  the  fish-hawks 
were  fishing,  or  carrying  sticks  to  build  their  nests, 
and  screaming  with  all  their  might,  the  herons  fish 
ing  for  minnows,  squawks  catching  frogs,  the  wild 
geese  making  their  peculiar  noise,  the  sea-fowl  div 
ing,  the  ducks  quacking,  and  the  fish  jumping  from 


16  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

the  water  in  schools.  It  shows  how  God  provides 
for  all  his  creatures,  for  though  there  are  thou 
sands  of  these  islands  scattered  along  the  coast 
of  Maine,  on  the  smallest  of  them,  and  some  that 
are  mere  rocks,  you  will  find  springs  of  living 
water. 

On  this  island  was  a  spring,  that  whenever  the 
tide  was  in  was  six  feet  under  water;  but  when 
the  tide  ebbed,  there  was  the  spring  bubbling  up 
in  the  white  sand,  as  good  fresh  water  as  was  ever 
drank. 

Old  Skipper  Brown  said  he  knew  the  time  when 
it  was  a  rod  up  the  bank;  that  when  he  used  to  go 
fishing  with  his  father,  he  had  filled  many  a  jug 
with  water  out  of  it ;  but  the  frost  and  the  sea  had 
undermined  the  bank  and  washed  it  away,  till  the 
tide  came  to  flow  over  it. 

There  is  another  thing  in  relation  to  this  little 
harbor,  of  great  importance ;  for  though  the  high 
rocks  and  the  thick  wood  sheltered  the  little  cove 
from  all  but  the  south  and  south-west  winds,  yet  it 
would  have  been  (at  any  rate  the  mouth  of  it)  very 
much  exposed  to  the  whole  sweep  of  the  Atlantic 
waves  in  southerly  gales;  and  though  the  cove  was 
so  winding  that  a  vessel  in  the  head  of  it  could  not 
be  hurt  by  the  sea,  yet  it  would  have  been  very 


ELM    ISLAND.  17 

hard  going  in,  and  impossible  to  get  out  in  bad 
weather,  had  it  not  been  for  a  provision  of  nature, 
of  which  I  shall  now  speak,  consisting  of  some  rag 
ged  and  outlying  rocks. 

One  of  these  was  called  the  White  Bull,  deriv 
ing  its  name  from  the  peculiar  hoarse  roar  which 
the  sea  made  as  it  broke  upon  it,  and  also  the  white 
cliffs  of  which  it  was  composed.  It  was  a  long 
granite  ledge,  perpendicular  on  the  inside,  and  far 
above  the  reach  of  the  highest  waves.  On  the  sea 
ward  side  it  ran  off  into  irregular  broken  reefs, 
covered  with  kelp,  the  home  of  the  rock  cod  and 
lobster,  and  the  favorite  resort  of  all  the  diving 
sea-fowl,  who  fed  on  the  weeds  growing  on  the 
bottom. 

In  the  centre  of  these  reefs  was  a  large  cove. 
Between  this  rock  and  the  eastern  point  of  the 
island  was  another,  of  similar  shape,  but  smaller 
dimensions,  called  the  Little  Bull :  they  were  con 
nected  by  a  reef  running  beneath  the  water,  against 
which  the  sea  broke,  in  storms,  with  great  fury ;  and 
even  in  calm  weather,  from  the  ground  swell  of  the 
ocean,  it  was  white  with  the  foaming  breakers. 

On  the  western  side  was  a  long,  high,  narrow 
island,  called,  from  its  shape,  the  "Junk  of  Pork," 
with  deep  water  all  around  it,  and  covered  with 
2 


18  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

grass.  The  two  ends  of  this  island  lapped  by  the> 
western  point  of  the  White  Bull  and  the  western 
point  of  the  main  island,  thus  presenting  a  com 
plete  barrier  against  the  sea.  The  whole  space  be- 
tween  the  main  land  and  these  outlying  rocks  and 
islands  was  a  beautiful  harbor,  the  bottom  of  which 
was  clay,  and  sand  on  top,  thus  affording  an  excel 
lent  hold  to  anchors. 

There  were  two  passages  to  go  in  and  out,  ac 
cording  as  the  wind  might  happen  to  be,  with  deep 
water  close  to  the  rocks.  This  harbor  was  a  favor 
ite  resort  of  the  fishermen,  who  came  here  to  dig 
clams  in  the  cove,  and  catch  menhaden  and  herring 
for  bait ;  they  also  stopped  here  in  the  afternoons 
to  get  water,  and  make  a  fire  on  the  rocks,  and  take 
a  cup  of  tea,  before  they  went  out  to  fish  all  night 
for  hake  ;  they  also  resorted  to  it  in  the  morning  to 
dress  their  fish  and  make  a  chowder,  and  lie  under 
the  shadow  of  the  trees  and  sleep  all  the  afternoon, 
that  they  might  be  ready  to  go  out  the  next  night. 

The  bottom  of  the  cove  on  the  White  Bull  was 
of  granite,  sloping  gradually  into  deep  water,  and 
smooth  as  ice.  Beneath  this  formation  of  granite 
was  a  blue  rock  of  much  softer  texture  than  gran 
ite.  The  sea,  in  great  storms,  rolled  the  fragments 
of  blue  stone  back  and  forth  on  this  granite  floor, 


ELM    ISLAND.  19 

and  wore  away  and  rounded  the  corners,  making 
them  of  the  shape  of  those  you  see  in  the  pave 
ments  of  the  cities.  The  action  of  these  stones  for 
hundreds  of  years,  on  this  granite  floor,  had  worn 
holes  in  it  as  big  as  the  mouth  of  a  well,  and  two 
or  three  feet  in  depth.  Sometimes  a  great  square 
rock  would  get  in  one  of  them,  too  big  for  the  sum 
mer  winds  to  fling  out,  and  the  sea  would  roll  it 
round  in  the  hole  all  summer,  wear  the  corners  off, 
and  then  the  December  gales  would  wash  it  out. 
Among  the  quartz  sand  in  the  bottom  of  this  cove 
you  could  pick  up  crystals  that  had  been  ground 
out  of  the  Crocks,  from  an  eighth  of  an  inch  to  an 
inch  in  diameter. 

It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  behold,  and  one  never 
to  be  forgotten,  either  in  this  world  or  the  next, 
when  the  waves,  which  had  been  growing  beneath 
the  winter's  gale  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Atlantic, 
came  thundering  in  on  these  ragged  rocks,  break 
ing  thirty  feet  high,  pouring  through  the  gaps  be 
tween  them,  white  foam  on  their  summits  and  deep 
green  beneath,  and  when  a  gleam  of  sunshine, 
breaking  from  a  ragged  cloud,  flashed  along  their 
edges,  displaying  for  a  moment  all  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow.  But  when  in  the  outer  cove  of  the 
White  Bull  the  great  wave  came  up,  a  quarter  of 


20  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

a  mile  in  length,  bearing  before  it  the  pebbles, 
some  weighing  three  hundred  pounds,  others  not 
larger  than  a  sparrow's  egg,  all  alive  and  moving  in 
the  surf,  and  rolling  over  each  other  on  the  smooth 
granite  bottom,  how  solemn  to  listen  to  that  awful 
roar,  like  the  voice  of  Almighty  God ! 

Amid  all  this  commotion,  the  little  harbor,  pro 
tected  by  its  granite  ramparts,  was  tranquil  as  a 
summer's  lake.  The  surface  of  it  was  indeed 
flecked  with  the  froth  of  the  breakers  that  drifted 
in  little  bunches  through  the  gaps  of  the  rocks, 
and  there  wras  a  slight  movement  caused  by  the 
last  pulsation  of  some  dying  wave;  but  that  was 
all,  and  way  up  in  the  cove  there  was  no  motion 
whatever. 

It  may  be  interesting  as  well  as  instructive,  hav 
ing  the  old  traditions  of  the  island  to  guide  us,  to 
consider  the  manner  in  which  this  picturesque  and 
most  useful  harbor  was  formed. 

Captain  Rhines  said  his  fither  told  him,  that 
when  he  was  a  boy  (nearly  seventy  years  before 
the  date  of  our  tale)  these  outer  rocks  were  all 
connected  with  the  main  island.  Between  the 
eastern  end  of  the  island  and  the  Little  Bull,  and 
between  the  Little  Bull  and  the  White  Bull,  was  a 
strip  of  clay  loam,  covered  with  a  growth  of  fir, 


ELM    ISLAND.  21 

hemlock,  and  spruce  ;  and  between  the  White  Bull 
and  the  Junk  of  Pork,  and  the  western  point  of 
the  main  island,  were  sand-spits  mixed  with  stones, 
and  salt  grass  growing  on  them.  What  is  now  the 
harbor  was  then  a  swamp,  into  which  the  brook  and 
all  the  rain-water  from  the  higher  portions  of  the 
island  drained.  In  the  middle  of  this  swamp  was 
a  pond,  margined  with  alder  bushes,  cat-tail  flags, 
and  rotten  logs.  In  high  courses  of  tides  the  salt 
water  came  into  it,  and  this  brackish  water  bred 
myriads  of  mosquitos. 

When  people  went  on  there,  they  had  to  pick 
a  smooth  time,  and  go  right  on  the  top  of  the  tide, 
and  haul  their  boat  over  a  sand-spit  into  the  swamp. 
It  was  impossible  to  land,  or  get  away  from  there, 
when  it  was  rough.  Captain  Rhines  went  on  there 
once  a  gunning,  in  December,  and  had  to  stay  a 
week.  Having  no  axe  to  build  a  camp,  he  turned 
his  boat  bottom  up  to  sleep  under,  and  getting  fire 
with  his  gun,  cooked  and  ate  sea-fowl ;  but  he  got 
awful  tired  of  them. 

He  said,  moreover,  that  the  land  on  the  outside 
kept  caving  off  every  spring  when  the  frost  came 
out,  and  falling  into  the  sea,  till  there  was  only  a 
little  strip  of  land,  with  three  old  hemlocks  upon 
it,  left;  and  he  used  to  pity  them  as  they  stood 


22  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

there  shivering  in  the  gale,  their  great  roots  stick 
ing  out  drying  in  the  wind,  and  dripping  with  salt 
spray,  for  he  knew  they  were  doomed,  and  must  go. 

At  length  there  came  a  dreadful  high  tide  and 
south-east  gale ;  the  sea  broke  in  and  swept  the 
whole  soil  off,  and  in  the  course  often  years  turned 
it  into  a  clam  bed.  It  was  the  greatest  place  to 
get  clams,  for  a  clam  chowder,  that  ever  was  in 
the  world.  He  said  that  it  kept  gradually  scour 
ing  out  and  deepening,  till  it  became  a  first-rate 
harbor. 

This  island  was  owned  by  a  merchant  of  Boston, 
in  whose  employ  Captain  Rhines  had  sailed  for 
many  years,  who  gave  him  liberty  to  pasture  it 
with  sheep,  as  a  recompense  for  taking  care  of  and 
preventing  squatters  from  plundering  it  of  spars 
and  timber.  As  sheep  are  very  fond  of  sea-weed 
and  kelp,  they  would  make  a  very  good  living  on  a 
place  like  this  island,  where  most  of  our  domestic 
animals  would  find  pretty  hard  fare. 

An  island  like  this  of  which  I  have  spoken  is  a 
very  pretty  spot  to  describe  or  visit ;  but  I  should 
like  to  ask  my  young  readers  if  they  think  they 
could  be  happy  in  such  a  place,  especially  after 
they  have  enumerated  with  me  the  things,  those 
we  suppose  to  be  living  there  would  be  deprived 


ELM    ISLAND.  23 

of,  and  which  they  often  imagine  they  could  not 
live  without. 

There  was  not  a  road  on  the  island,  nor  a  side 
walk,  only  foot-paths ;  not  a  horse,  a  store,  church, 
school-house,  post-office,  museum,  or  toy-shop ;  not 
a  piano,  nor  any  kind  of  musical  instrument,  ex 
cept  the  grand  diapason  of  the  breakers ;  no  circus, 
caravan,  soldiers,  nor  fireworks ;  no  confectionery 
nor  ice-creams. 

The  island  stood  alone  in  the  ocean  ;  and  though 
you  could  land  at  any  time  when  you  could  get 
there,  yet  there  were  weeks  together  in  winter, 
when,  in  case  of  sickness  or  death,  not  a  boat  could 
live  to  cross  from  the  main  land;  they  were  com 
pletely  shut  out  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world. 
But  you  say,  perhaps,  these  people  must  have  been 
very  poor. 

O,  not  at  all.  If  you  mean,  by  being  poor,  that 
they  had  not  much  money,  or  horses,  or  carriages, 
or  rich  dresses,  and  servants  to  wait  on  them,  why, 
then  they  were  poor ;  but  if  you  mean  by  the  term 
poor,  such  poverty  as  you  see  in  the  cities  or  in  the 
large  country  towns,  where  you  may  see  aged 
women  in  rags  begging  from  door  to  door;  chil 
dren  with  their  little  bare  feet  as  red  as  the 
pigeons'  with  the  cold,  picking  the  little  bits  of 


24  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

coal  out  of  the  ashes  that  are  thrown  out  of  the 
stores  and  houses;  gathering  pieces  of  hoops  and 
chips  around  the  wharves  and  warehouses  to  carry 
home  to  burn ;  with  the  tears  running  down  their 
little  cheeks,  crying,  "  Please  give  me  a  cent  to  buy 
some  bread,"  —  O,  there  was  no  such  poverty  as 
that  there  :  they  never  knew  what  it  was  to  want 
good  wholesome  food,  and  good  coarse  warm  cloth 
ing  to  keep  out  the  frost  and  snow. 

"But  how  did  they  get  it,  if  they  had  not  much 
money  to  buy  it  ?  " 

"  Get  it  ?  Why,  they  worked  for  it ;  and  if  any 
one  had  called  these  island  people  beggars,  they 
would  have  broken  his  head,  or  flung  him  over 
board." 

You  may  think  as  you  like,  my  young  friends ; 
but  people  did  live  on  this  island,  and  were  happy 
as  the  days  are  long,  though  they  had  their  trials 
and  "  head  flaws,"  as  we  all  must. 


THE    RHINE S    FAMILY.  25 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    RHINE  S    FAMILY. 

IN  order  that  you  may  know  all  about  them,  we 
will  resume  the  thread  of  our  story,  and  trace  the 
history  of  Captain  Rhines  and  his  family. 

The  captain  was  a  strong-built,  finely  propor 
tioned,  "  hard-a-weather "  sailor,  not  a  great  deal 
the  wbrse  for  wear,  and  seasoned  by  the  suns  and 
frosts  of  many  climates.  In  early  life  he  had  ex 
perienced  the  bitter  struggle  with  poverty. 

His  father  came  into  the  country  when  it  was  a 
wilderness,  with  nothing  but  a  narrow  axe,  and 
strength  to  use  it.  His  first  crops  being  cut  off  by 
the  frosts,  they  were  compelled  to  live  for  months 
upon  clams,  and  the  leaves  of  beech  trees  boiled. 
There  were  no  schools ;  and  the  parents,  engaged  in 
a  desperate  struggle  for  existence  with  famine  and 
the  Indians,  were  unable  to  instruct  their  children. 
Fishing  vessels  from  Marblehead  often  anchored  in 
the  cove  near  the  log  camp,  and  little  Ben,  anxious 
to  earn  somewhat  to  aid  his  parents  in  their  pov 
erty,  went  as  cook  in  one  of  these  vessels  when  so 


26  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

small  that  some  one  had  to  hang  on  the  pot  for 
him.  He  was  thus  engaged  for  several  summers, 
till  big  enough  to  go  as  boy  in  a  coaster.  Dur 
ing  the  winters,  arrayed  in  buckskin  breeches,  In 
dian  moccasons,  and  a  coon-skin  cap,  he  helped  his 
father  make  staves,  and  hauled  them  to  the  landing 
on  a  hand-sled. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Salem,  and 
shipped  in  a  brig  bound  to  Havana,  to  load  with 
sugar  for  Europe.  He  was  then  a  tall,  handsome, 
resolute  boy  as  ever  the  sun  shone  upon,  without  a 
single  vicious  habit;  for  his  parents,  though  poor, 
were  religious,  and  had  brought  him  up  to  hard 
work  and  the  fear  of  God. 

He  was  passionately  fond  of  a  gun  and  dogs, 
and  what  little  leisure  he  ever  had  was  spent  in 
hunting  and  fowling.  As  respected  his  fitness 
for  his  position,  he  could  "steer  a  good  trick," 
had  learned  what  little  seamanship  was  to  be  ob 
tained  on  board  a  fisherman  and  coaster,  but  he 
could  not  read,  or  even  write  his  name. 

The  mate  of  the  vessel  conceived  a  liking  for 
him  the  moment  he  came  over  the  ship's  side,  and 
this  good  opinion  increased  upon  acquaintance. 
They  had  been  but  a  fortnight  at  sea,  when  he  said 
to  the  captain,  "  That  long-legged  boy,  who  shipped 


THE    RHINE S    FAMILY.  27 

for  a  green  hand,  will  be  as  good  a  man  as  we  have 
on  board  before  we  get  into  the  English  Channel ; 
he  will  reeve  studding-sail  gear,  already,  quicker 
than  any  ordinary  seaman.  I  liked  the  cut  of  his 
jib  the  moment  I  clapped  eyes  on  him.  If  that  boy 
lives  he'll  be  master  of  a  ship  before  many  years." 

"  I  hardly  see  how  that  can  be,"  replied  the  cap 
tain,  "for  he  can't  write  his  own  name." 

"  Can't  write  his  own  name !  Why,  that  is  im 
possible." 

"At  any  rate  he  made  his  mark  on  the  ship's 
articles,  and  he  is  the  only  one  of  the  crew  who  did." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  mate,  "  I  can't  see  through 
it ;  but  he's  in  my  watch,  and  I'll  know  more  about 
it  before  twenty-four  hours." 

That  night  the  mate  went  forward  where  Ben 
was  keeping  the  lookout. 

"Ben!" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"  Where  do  you  hail  from  ?  " 

"  Way  down  in  the  woods  in  Maine,  Mr.  Brown." 

"What  was  you  about  there  ?" 

"  Fishing  and  coasting  summers,  and  working  in 
the  woods  in  the  winter." 

"  Why  didnt  you  ship,  then,  for  an  ordinary  sea 
man,  and  get  more  wages  ?  " 


28  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"Because,  sir,  I  was  never  in  a  square-rigged 
vessel  before,  and  I  didn't  want  to  ship  to  do  what 
I  might  not  be  able  to  perform." 

"I  see  you  made  your  'mark'  on  the  brig's 
articles.  Were  you  never  at  school  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"Why  not?" 

"  There's  no  such  thing  where  I  came  from." 

"  Couldn't  your  parents  read  and  write  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Then  why  didn't  they  learn  you  themselves  ?" 

"  There  were  a  good  many  of  us,  sir,  and  they 
were  so  put  to  it  to  raise  enough  to  live  on,  and 
fight  the  Indians,  they  had  no  time  for  it." 

The  mate  was  a  noble-hearted  man ;  all  his  sym 
pathies  were  touched  at  seeing  so  fine  a  young 
man  prevented  from  rising  by  an  ignorance  that 
was  no  fault  of  his  own.  He  took  two  or  three 
turns  across  the  deck,  and  at  length  said,  — 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  youngster :  I'll  say  this 
much  before  your  face  or  behind  your  back :  you're 
just  the  best  behaved  boy,  the  quickest  to  learn 
your  duty,  and  the  most  willing  to  do  it,  that  I 
ever  saw,  and  I've  been  following  the  sea  for  nearly 
thirty  years ;  and  before  I'll  see  an  American  boy 
like  you  kept  down  by  ignorance,  I'll  do  as  I'd 


THE    RHINE S    FAMILY.  29 

be  done  by  —  turn  schoolmaster,  and  teach  you  my 
self." 

Mr.  Brown  was  as  good  as  his  word.  While  the 
rest  of  the  crew  in  their  forenoon  watch  below 
were  mending  their  clothes,  telling  long  yarns,  or 
playing  cards,  and  when  in  port  drinking  and  frol 
icking,  Ben  was  learning  to  read  and  write,  and 
putting  his  whole  soul  into  it.  He  stuck  to  the 
vessel,  and  Mr.  Brown  stuck  to  him.  When  he 
shipped  the  next  voyage  as  able  seaman,  he  wrote 
his  name  in  good  fair  hand. 

They  went  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  to 
load  with  pitch,  rice,  and  deer-skins,  for  Liverpool. 
The  vessel  was  a  long  time  completing  her  cargo, 
as  it  had  to  be  picked  up  from  the  plantations. 
Ben  improved  the  time  to  learn  navigation.  From 
Liverpool  they  went  to  Barbadoes.  While  lying 
there,  the  captain  of  the  ship  James  Welch,  of  Bos 
ton,  named  after  the  principal  owner,  died.  The 
mate  taking  charge  of  the  ship,  Ben,  by  Mr. 
Brown's  recommendation,  obtained  the  first  mate's 
berth.  He  was  now  no  longer  Ben,  but  Mr.  Rhines, 
and  finally  becoming  master  of  the  ship,  continued 
iu  the  employ  of  Mr.  Welch  as  long  as  he  followed 
the  sea.  He  then  married,  built  a  house  on  the 
site  of  the  old  log  camp,  and  surrounded  it  with 


30  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

fruit  and  shade  trees,  for,  by  travel  and  obser 
vation,  he  had  acquired  ideas  of  taste,  beauty,  and 
comfort,  quite  in  advance  of  the  times,  or  his 
neighbors.  He  then  took  his  parents  home  to  live 
with  him,  and  made  their  last  days  happy. 

Although  he  was  compelled  by  necessity  thus 
early  to  go  to  sea,  he  had  a  strong  attachment  to 
the  soil,  and  would  have  devoted  himself  to  its 
cultivation  in  middle  life,  had  he  not  met  with 
losses,  which  so  much  embarrassed  him,  that  he 
was  compelled  to  continue  at  sea  to  extricate  him 
self. 

Captain  Rhines's  fine  house,  nice  furniture,  and 
curiosities  which  he  brought  home  from  time  to 
time,  excited  no  heart-burnings  among  his  neigh 
bors,  because  they  knew  he  had  earned  them  by 
hard  work,  and  did  not  think  himself  better  than 
others  on  account  of  that. 

Thus,  when  he  became  embarrassed,  instead  of 
saying,  "  Good  enough  for  him,"  "  He  will  have  to 
leave  off  some  of  his  quarter-deck  airs  now,"  every 
body  felt  sorry  for  him,  and  told  him  so. 

Indeed,  everything  about  the  Rhines  family  was 
pleasant,  and  excited  cheerful  emotions.  The  old 
house  itself  had  a  most  comfortable,  cosy  look,  as  it 
lay  in  the  very  eye  of  the  sun,  with  an  orchard 


THE    KHINES    FAMILY.  31 

before  it,  green  fields  stretching  along  the  water, 
sheltered  on  the  north-west  by  high  land  and  for 
est.  The  shores  were  fringed  with  thickets  of 
beech  and  birch,  branches  of  which,  at  high  tide, 
almost  touched  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Some  houses  are  high  and  thin,  resembling  a 
sheet  of  gingerbread  set  on  edge ;  they  impress 
you  with  a  painful  feeling  of  insecurity,  as  though 
they  might  blow  over.  Such  houses  generally 
have  all  the  windows  abreast,  so  that  when  the 
curtains  are  up,  and  the  blinds  open,  you  can  look 
right  through  them.  They  seem  cold,  cheerless, 
repellent;  you  shrug  your  shoulders  and  shiver  as 
you  look  at  them.  But  this  house  was  large  on 
the  ground,  and  looked  as  if  it  grew  there,  with  an 
ell  and  long  shed  running  to  the  barn,  a  sunny 
door-yard,  a  spreading  beech  before  the  end  door, 
with  a  great  wood-pile  under  it,  suggestive  of  rous 
ing  fires. 

There  was  a  row  of  Lombardy  poplars  in  front 
of  the  house,  and  a  large  rock  maple  at  the  corner 
of  the  barn-yard,  which  the  children  always  tapped 
in  the  spring  to  get  sap  to  drink  and  make  sap 
coffee.  There  was  a  real  hospitable  look  about  the 
old  homestead  ;  it  seemed  to  say,  "There's  pork  in 
the  cellar,  there's  corn  in  the  crib,  hay  in  the  barn, 


82  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

and  a  good  fire  on  the  hearth :  walk  in,  neighbor, 
and  make  yourself  at  home." 

But  the  popularity  of  Captain  Rhines  among  his 
neighbors  had  a  deeper  root  than  this.  A  great 
many  of  the  young  men  in  the  neighborhood  had 
been  their  first  voyage  to  sea  with  him ;  he  had 
treated  them  in  such  a  manner,  had  taken  so  much 
pains  to  advance  them  in  their  profession,  that  they 
respected  and  loved  him  ever  after. 

When  it  was  known  in  the  neighborhood  that 
Captain  Rhines  was  going  to  sea,  the  question  was 
not,  how  he  should  get  men,  but  how  he  should 
get  rid  of  them,  there  were  so  many  eager  for  the 
berth. 

It  would  have  done  your  heart  good  to  have 
seen  the  happy  faces  of  the  men  grouped  together 
on  that  ship's  forecastle,  waiting,  like  hounds  strain 
ing  in  the  leash,  for  the  order  to  man  the  windlass ; 
not  an  old  broken-down  shellback  among  them,  but 
all  the  neighbors'  boys,  in  their  red  shirts,  and  duck 
trousers  white  as  the  driven  snow,  which  their 
mothers  had  washed. 

As  each  one  of  them  had  a  character  to  sustain, 
was  anxious  to  outdo  his  shipmate,  and  the  greater 
portion  of  them  were  in  love  with  some  neighbor's 
daughter,  and  expected  to  be  married  as  soon  as 


THE    KIIINES    FAMILY.  33 

they  were  master  of  a  ship,  it  is  evident  there  was 
very  little  to  do  in  the  way  of  discipline.  It  was 
a  jolly  sight,  when  there  came  a  gale  of  wind,  to 
see  them  scamper  up  the  rigging,  racing  with  each 
other  for  the  "weather-earing." 

Captain  Rhines,  though  a  large  and  powerfully 
built  man,  was  a  pygmy  to  his  son  Ben.  Ben 
measured,  crooks  and  all,  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height,  weighing  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds. 
He  was  possessed  of  strength  in  proportion  to  his 
size,  and,  what  was  more  remarkable,  was  as  spry 
as  an  eel,  and  could  jump  out  of  a  hogshead  with 
out  touching  his  hands  to  it.  His  neighbors  called 
him  "Lion  Ben."  He  obtained  the  appellation 
from  this  circumstance.  * 

One  day  when  the  inhabitants  of  the  district 
were  at  work  on  the  roads,  they  dug  out  a  large 
rock.  Ben,  then  nineteen  years  of  age,  took  it  up, 
carried  it  out  of  the  road,  dropped  it,  and  said  it 
might  stay  there  till  they  raised  another  man  in 
town  strong  enough  to  take  it  back. 

He  was  now  twenty-six  years  of  age,  of  excel 
lent  capacity,  and  good  education  for  the  times, 
his  father  bavin"1  sent  him  to  Massachusetts  to 

CT 

school.     It  was  very  difficult  to  provoke  him ;  but 
when,  after  long  provocation,  he  became  enraged, 
3 


34  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

his  temper  broke  out  in  an  instant,  and  he  knew 
no  measure  in  his  wrath.  His  townsmen  loved 
him,  because  he  used  his  strength  to  protect  the 
weak,  and  were  at  the  same  time  excessively  proud 
of  him,  as  in  all  the  neighboring  towns  there  was 
not  a  man  that  could  throw  him,  or  that  even 
dared  to  take  hold  of  him. 

He  had  a  large  chair  made  on  purpose  for  him 
to  sit  in,  and  tools  for  him  to  work  witli ;  and  if 
anybody  lent  a  crowbar  to  Captain  Rhines,  they 
always  said,  "Don't  let  Ben  use  it,"  as  in  that  case 
it  was  sure  to  come  home  bent  double,  and  had  to 
be  sent  to  the  blacksmith's  to  be  straightened. 

He  was  passionately  fond  of  gunning,  and  would 
risk  life  and  limb  to  shoot  a  goose  or  sea-duck. 
Though  he  had  followed  the  sea  since  he  was  sev 
enteen  years  of  age,  yet  he  was  greatly  attached 
to  the  soil,  and  when  at  home  loved  to  work  on 
it.  It  was  a  curious  sight  to  see  this  great  giant 
weeding  the  garden,  or  at  work  upon  his  sister's 
flower-bed. 

He  was  a  generous-hearted  creature  ;  when  any 
body  was  sick  or  poor  he  would  get  all  the  young 
folks  together,  make  a  bee,  get  in  their  corn,  do 
their  planting,  or  cut  their  winter's  wood  for  them. 
He  had  often  done  this  for  the  widow  Hadlock, 


THE    RHLXES    FAMILY.  35 

who  was  their  nearest  neighbor.  The  widow  Had- 
lock's  husband,  a  very  enterprising  sea  captain,  had 
died  at  sea,  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  his  widow 
with  a  young  family,  a  farm,  a  fine  house  well  fur 
nished,  but  nothing  more.  The  broken-hearted 
woman  had  struggled  very  hard  to  keep  the 
homestead  for  her  children,  and  the  whole  family 
together.  Being  a  woman  of  great  prudence,  in 
dustry,  and  judgment,  with  the  help  of  good 
neighbors,  she  had  succeeded.  Her  oldest  son  was 
now  able  to  manage  the  farm,  and  the  bitterness 
of  the  struggle  was  past. 

The  tax-gatherer  carne  to  the  widow  for  the 
taxes. 

"Why,  Mr.  Jones,"  said  the  widow,  "you  tax 
me  altogether  too  much ;  I  have  not  so  much 
property." 

"O,  Mrs.  Hadlock,"  said  he,  "we  tax  you  for 
your  faculty." 

Notwithstanding  all  the  sterling  qualities  we  have 
enumerated,  the  personal  appearance  of  Ben  Rhines 
was  anything  but  an  exponent  of  his  character. 
There  was  such  an  enormous  enlargement  of  the 
muscles  of  the  shoulders,  and  his  neck  was  so  short, 
that  his  head  seemed  to  come  out  of  the  middle 
of  his  breast.  The  great  length  of  his  arms  was 


36  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

exaggerated  by  the  stoop  in  bis  shoulders  :  though 
his  legs  and  hips  were  large,  yet  the  tremendous 
development  of  the  upper  part  of  the  body  gave 
him  the  appearance  of  being  top-heavy. 

From  such  a  square-jawed  fellow  you  would 
naturally  expect  to  proceed  a  deep  bass  voice ;  but 
from  this  monstrous  bulk  came  a  soft,  child-like 
voice,  such  as  we  sometimes  hear  from  very  fat 
people ;  and  unless  he  was  greatly  excited,  the 
words  were  slowly  drawled  :  the  entire  impression 
made  by  him  upon  a  stranger  was  that  of  a  great, 
listless,  inoffensive  man,  without  penetration  to  per 
ceive,  or  courage  to  resist,  imposition. 

But  never  was  the  proverb,  "Appearances  are 
deceitful,"  more  strikingly  verified  than  in  this  in 
stance.  That  listless  exterior,  and  almost  infantile 
voice,  concealed  a  mind  clear  and  well  informed, 
and  a  temper,  that  when  goaded  beyond  the  limits 
of  forbearance,  broke  out  like  the  eruption  of  a 
volcano. 

In  his  position  as  mate  of  a  vessel  it  became  his 
duty  to  control  men  of  all  nations.  Being  well 
aware  that  his  appearance  was  calculated  to  invite 
aggression,  he  took  singular  methods  to  escape 
it.  He  knew  that  his  temper,  when  it  reached 
a  certain  point,  was  beyond  his  control.  He  also 


THE    RHIXES    FAMILY.  37 

knew  his  strength  ;  and  as  the  good-natured  giant 
didn't  want  to  hurt  anybody  when  milder  methods 
would  answer  the  purpose,  he  would  come  along 
just  as  the  ship  was  .getting  under  way,  the  men 
at  the  topsail  halyards,  and  reaching  up  above  all 
the  rest,  bring  them  down  in  a  heap  on  deck,  caus 
ing  those  that  were  singing  to  bite  their  tongues. 
Sometimes  when  two  or  three  sailo7;s  were  heaving 
with  the  handspikes  to  roll  up  a  spar  to  the  ring 
bolts,  singing  out  and  making  a  great  fuss,  he 
would  seize  hold  of  the  end  of  it,  and  heave  it  into 
its  bed  apparently  without  any  effort,  while  the  men 
would  wink  to  each  other  and  reflect  upon  the 
consequences  of  having  a  brush  with  such  a  mate 
as  that. 

By  proceeding  in  this  way,  though  he  had  taken 
up  one  or  two  that  had  insulted  him  beyond  en 
durance,  and  smashed  them  down  upon  the  ground, 
kicked  a  truckman  into  the  dock  who  was  beating 
his  horse  with  a  cordwood  stick,  he  never  struck 
but  one  man  in  his  life,  which  happened  in  this 
wise. 

Ben  was  on  board  a  ship  in  port,  with  only  a 
cook  and  two  boys,  the  captain  having  gone  home, 
and  the  rest  of  the  crew  being  discharged.  He 
hired  an  English  sailor  to  help  the  boys  trim  some 


38  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

ballast  in  the  hold  ;  they  complained  that  he  kicked 
and  abused  them. 

Ben  told  them  to  go  to  work  again,  and  he  would 
see  about  it.  After  dinner  he  lay  down  in  his  berth 
for  a  nap,  when  he  was  disturbed  by  a  terrible  out 
cry  in  the  hold,  and,  going  down,  found  the  sailor 
beating  the  boys  with  a  rope's  end.  He  asked  him 
what  he  was  .doing  that  for;  the  man  said  they 
wouldn't  work,  and  were  saucy  to  him.  Ben  re 
plied  that  the  boys  were  good  boys,  that  he  had 
always  known  them,  and  that  he  mustn't  strike  the 
boys.  The  bully  asked  him  if  he  meant  to  take  it 
up.  Ben  replied  that  he  didn't  wish  to  take  it  up, 
but  he  mustn't  strike  the  boys. 

The  sailor  then  threatened  to  strike  him ;  upon 
which  Ben  stood  up  before  him,  and  folding  his 
arms  on  his  breast,  in  his  drawling,  childish  way, 
told  him  to  strike.  The  man  struck,  when  Ben  in 
flicted  upon  him  such  a  terrible  blow,  that,  falling 
upon  the  ballast,  he  lay  and  quivered  like  an  ox 
when  he  is  struck  down  by  the  butcher. 

"  O,  Mr.  Rhines, "  exclaimed  the  terrified  boys, 
"you've  killed  him,  you've  killed  him!" 

"Well,"  he  replied  in  his  quiet  way,  "if  I've 
killed  him,  I've  laid  him  out." 


TIGE    RHINE  S. 


CHAPTER   III. 

TIGE    RHINES. 

THERE  was  another  member  of  the  family  whose 
qualities  deserve  especial  mention  —  the  great  New 
foundland  dog. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  captain's  fond 
ness  for  the  race  :  there  was  always  a  dog  in  his 
father's  family.  Often  had  old  Lion  furnished  them 
with  a  meal,  or  detected  the  ambush  of  the  lurking 
Indian.  As  though  to  round  and  complete  the 
sum  of  kindly  associations  clustering  around  this 
pleasant  household,  even  Tiger  partook  of  the  good 
qualities  of  the  family.  Captain  Rhines  said  that 
he  wouldn't  have  a  dog  that  would  make  the  neigh 
bors  dislike  to  come  to  the  house ;  but  as  for  Tiger, 
he  was  both  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian. 

The  breed  of  dogs  to  which  he  belonged  are 
both  by  ti at ure  and  inclination  fitted  for  the  water, 
and  as  insensible  to  the  cold  as  a' white  bear.  Their 
skin  is  greasy  ;  there  is  a  fine  wool  under  their  long 
hair  which  turns  water;  when  they  come  ashore 


40  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

they  give  themselves  a  shake  or  two  and  are  nearly 
dry.  They  are  also  partially  web-footed  ;  they  do 
not  swim  like  common  dogs,  thrusting  their  paws 
out  before  them  like  a  hog,  but  spread  out  their 
great  feet  and  strike  out  sidewiso  like  a  boy. 

The  way  in  which  the  captain  made  the  ac 
quaintance  of  Tige  was  on  this  wise  :  One  of  his 
last  voyages  was  to  Trieste  ;  he  met  in  the  street 
a  fine-looking  dog  carrying  a  basket  full  of  eggs; 
greatly  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  animal, 
he  turned  to  look  after  him,  when,  as  he  passed  a 
stable  door,  a  dog  as  large  as  himself  attacked  him 
in  the  rear.  He  bore  it  patiently  till  he  came  to  a 
house,  when,  putting  down  his  eggs,  he  turned 
upon  his  persecutor,  and  gave  him  such  a  mauling 
that  he  was  glad  to  escape  on  three  legs,  and  cov 
ered  with  blood.  The  captain  followed  the  dog  to 
a  menagerie,  where  he  ascertained  that  it  was  the 
dog's  daily  duty  to  bring  eggs  to  feed  the  mon 
keys;  that  he  had  flogged  the  other  a  day  or  two 
before,  who  thought  to  avenge  himself  by  attacking 
him  at  a  disadvantage. 

The  captain  succeeded  in  buying  the  animal, 
though  he  never  dared  to  tell  what  he  gave  for  him. 

"  Were  I  not  pushed  for  money,"  said  the  show 
man,  after  the  bargain  was  concluded,  "I  never 


TIGE    EHINES.  41 

would  have  parted  with  him ;  he  will  protect  your 
person  and  your  property ;  you  never  will  be  sorry 
that  you  bought  him,  though  I  shall  often  regret 
that  I  was  obliged  to  sell  him." 

Captain  Rhines  soon  found  that  the  showman 
had  spoken  the  truth.  He  could  leave  the  most 
valuable  articles  on  the  wharf,  and  trust  them  to 
his  keeping. 

So  well  was  his  disposition  known,  that  not  a 
child  in  the  neighborhood  feared  to  come  to  the 
house  by  night  or  day.  He  would  permit  any  per 
son  to  inspect  the  premises,  but  not  to  touch  the 
least  thing. 

They  might,  in  the  night  time,  knock  at  the  door 
as  long  as  they  pleased ;  but  if  they  put  their  hand 
on  the  latch,  he  would  knock  it  off  with  his  paw, 
and  show  his  teeth  in  a  way  that  discouraged  fur 
ther  attempts.  When  the  little  children  came  who 
could  not  knock  loud  enough  to  be  heard,  he  would 
bark  for  them  till  he  brought  somebody  to  the  door. 

There  was  nothing  so  attractive  to  Tige  as  a 
baby  on  the  floor,  nor  anything  in  which  he  so 
much  delighted  as  to  follow  them  around,  and 
with  his  great  tongue  lick  meat  and  gingerbread 
out  of  their  fists.  No  wonder  his  master  said  he 
was  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian ;  for  though  he 


42  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

would  tear  a  thief  in  a  moment,  those  little  tots 
would  get  on  him  as  he  lay  in  the  grass,  stuff  his 
mouth  and  nose  full  of  clover  heads  to  hear  him 
sneeze,  and,  when  tired  of  that,  lie  down  on  him 
and  go  to  sleep. 

Next  to  playing  with  babies,  his  favorite  employ 
ment  was  fishing.  In  a  calm  day,  when  the  water 
was  clear,  he  would  swim  off  to  a  dry  ledge,  called 
Seal  Rock,  in  the  cove  before  the  house,  dive  down, 
and  bring  up  a  fish  every  time. 

The  fish  always  worked  off  on  the  ebb  tide,  and 
came  up  on  the  flood.  Tige  knew  as  well  when  it 
was  flood  tide,  and  time  to  go  floundering,  as  did 
John  Rhines,  his  bosom  friend  and  constant  com 
panion.  Tige  always  went  to  meeting,  and  slept 
on  the  horse-block  in  fair  weather,  and  under  it  in 
foul. 

The  good  women  snid,  they  did  wish  Tige  Rhines 
would  stay  at  home,  for  when  they  had  fixed  the 
children  all  up  nice  to  go  to  meeting,  they  were 
sure  to  be  hugging  him,  and  he  would  slobber  them 
all  over,  lick  their  hair  down  about  their  eyes,  and 
chew  their  bonnet  "  ribbins  "  into  strings. 

Captain  Rhines  hired  Sam  Hadlock  to  help  him 
hoe.  When  he  went  home  Saturday  night,  he  hung 
up  his  hoe  in  the  shed,  as  he  expected  to  work 


TIGE    EHINES.  43 

there  the  next  week,  but,  finding  his  mother's  com 
was  suffering  to  be  hoed,  went  back  to  get  it.  The 
family  had  gone  to  bed,  and  Tige  wouldn't  let  him 
touch  it,  though  they  were  great  friends,  and  he 
was  the  next  neighbor.  He  was  going  into  the 
house  without  knocking,  for  they  didn't  fasten 
doors  in  those  days;  but  the  instant  he  put  his 
hand  on  the  latch,  the  dog  knocked  it  off  with  his 
paw,  and  he  was  obliged  to  knock  till  Ben  came 
and  got  the  hoe  for  him. 

A  more  singular  proof  of  his  sagacity  occurred 
soon  after.  They  had  a  fuss  in  the  district  with 
the  schoolmaster,  and  a  lawsuit  grew  out  of  it. 
Captain  Rhines's  daughter  wns  summoned  as  a 
witness  by  the  master.  He  came  one  evening  to 
see  her  about  it,  when  the  rest  of  the  family  were 
from  home.  Tiger  thought,  as  she  was  alone,  all 
was  not  right;  so  he  waits  upon  the  master  to  the 
door,  and  when  she  opened  it,  stood  up  on  his  hind 
legs,  and  put  his  fore  paws  on  the  master's  shoul 
ders,  and  without  offering  to  harm  him,  kept  him 
there.  They  had  to  do  their  talking  over  Tiger's 
shoulder;  but  when  it  was  finished, he  made  no  ob 
jection  to  his  departure. 

In  the  cove  before  the  house  was  a,  beach  of  fine 
white  sand,  without  a  stone  in  it,  which  when  wet 


44  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

was  as  hard  as  a  floor.  The  children  were  never 
tired  of  playing  on  this  spot.  The  upper  portion, 
which  was  only  occasionally  wet  by  the  tide,  was 
dry  and  the  sand  loose,  while  the  lower  part,  which 
the  water  had  recently  left,  was  hard  and  smooth 
to  run  on,  thus  afford  ing  them  a  variety  of  amuse 
ments.  Some  would  run  races  on  the  beach,  chase 
the  retreating  waves,  and  then  scamper  back, 
screaming  with  delight,  as  the  wave  broke  around 
their  heels. 

Others  sailed  boats,  waded  in  the  water  after 
shells,  and  if  they  could  get  Tige,  they  would  spit 
on  a  stick  and  fling  it  as  far  as  they  could  into  the 
water,  and  send  him  in  to  fetch  it  out,  while  those 
who  were  learning  to  swim  would  catch  hold  of  his 
tail  and  be  towed  ashore.  While  all  this  was  go 
ing  on  at  the  water's  edge,  another  party  on  the 
upper  portion  would  be  rolling  over  on  the  hot, 
clean  sand,  and  building  forts,  and  digging  wells 
with  clam  shells ;  others  still,  under  the  clay  bank, 
were  making  mud  puddings  and  pies,  and  roasting 
clams  at  a  great  fire  made  of  drift-wood. 

Parents  did  not  like  very  well  to  have  the  chil 
dren,  especially  the  little  ones,  play  there  so  much, 
for  fear  of  their  getting  drowned ;  and  the  larger 
ones  could  not  well  be  spared  from  work  to  go 


T1GE    SHINES.  45 

with  them;  but  they  could  not  find  it  in  their 
hearts  to  forbid  them,  they  had  such  a  good  time 
of  it.  So,  once  or  twice  every  week  during  the 
summer,  a  group  of  little  folks  would  come  to  the 
captain's,  and  one  of  them,  making  her  best  "  courte 
sy,"  would  say,  — 

"  Captain  Rhines,  me,  and  Eliza  Ann  Hadlock, 
and  Caroline  Griffin,  and  the  Warren  girls,  are  go 
ing  down  to  the  cove  to  play,  and  my  marm  wants 
to  know  if  Tige  can  go  and  take  care  of  us." 

Tige,  who  knew  what  the  children  wanted  as 
well  as  they  did  themselves,  would  stand  looking 
his  master  in  the  face,  wagging  his  tail,  and  saying, 
as  plain  as  a  dog  could  say,  "  Do  let  me  go,  sir." 

Captain  Rhines,  one  afternoon,  set  a  herring  net 
in  the  mouth  of  the  cove.  These  nets  are  very 
long,  and  are  set  by  fastening  the  upper  edge  to  a 
rope,  called  the  cork-rope.  On  this  rope  are  strung 
corks,  or  wooden  buoys  made  of  cedar,  which  keep 
it  on  top  of  the  water.  It  is  then  stretched  out, 
and  the  two  ends  fastened  to  the  bottom  by 
"  grapplings."  To  each  end  larger  buoys  are  fas 
tened  ;  weights  are  then  attached  to  the  lower 
edge,  so  that  it  hangs  perpendicular  in  the  water. 
The  fish  run  against  it  in  the  dark,  and  are  caught 
by  their  gills. 


46  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

It  is  the  nature  of  Newfoundland  dogs  to  bring 
ashore  whatever  they  see  floating.  Tige  went  down 
to  the  Seal  Rock  floundering,  and  saw  the  buoys 
bobbing  up  and  down  in  the  water  ;  away  he  swims 
to  bring  them  ashore.  Finding  them  fast  to  the 
bottom,  what  does  he  do,  but  with  his  sharp  teeth 
gnaws  off  the  cork-rope  and  set  them  adrift  ?  till 
there  were  not  enough  left  to  float  the  net,  and  it 
sank  to  the  bottom.  He  then  carried  all  the  floats  to 
the  Seal  Rock  and  piled  them  up,  and  thinking  he 
had  done  a  meritorious  act,  lay  down  to  rest  him 
self  after  his  labors. 

The  next  morning  Captain  Rhines  and  Ben  went 
to  take  up  their  net.  They  thought  some  vessel 
must  either  have  run  over  it  and  carried  it  off  on 
her  keel  or  rudder,  or  else  that  so  many  fish  were 
meshed  as  to  sink  it.  They  grappled  and  brought 
it  up,  when,  to  their  astonishment,  there  was  not  a 
fish  in  it,  the  cork-rope  cut  to  pieces,  the  two  large 
buoys  and  about  two  thirds  of  the  net-buoys 
gone. 

But  as  they  pulled  home  by  the  Seal  Rock  there 
was  every  one  of  the  missing  floats,  with  the 
marks  of  Tiger's  teeth  in  the  soft  wood.  Captain 
Rhines  was  in  a  towering  passion,  because  it  was 
not  only  a  great  deal  of  work  to  grapple  for  the 


t 


TIGE    EHINES.  47 

net,  but  the  cork-rope,  which  was  valuable  in  those 
days,  was  all  cut  to  pieces. 

He  sent  John  up  to  the  house  after  Tige,  and 
got  a  big  stick  to  beat  him.  The  beach  was  cov 
ered  with  children  of  all  ages.  They  left  their 
sports  and  ran  to  the  spot.  John  Rhines  begged 
his  father  not  to  lick  the  dog,  while  the  children 
began  to  cry;  but  the  captain  was  determined. 
"Father,"  said  Ben,  "I  wouldn't  beat  him;  if  you 
beat  him  for  bringing  these  floats  ashore,  he  won't 
go  after  birds  when  you  shoot  them."  Upon  this, 
the  captain,  who  was  an  inveterate  gunner,  flung 
away  the  stick ;  and  the  children,  drying  up  their 
tears,  took  Tige  off  to  frolic  with  them. 

The  miller's  daughter,  three  years  and  a  half  old, 
had  a  speckled  kitten  ;  a  brutal  boy  drowned  it  in 
the  mill-pond.  The  little  creature  went  down  to 
look  for  her  kitten,  and  fell  in.  Just  then  Captain 
Rhines  and  Tige  came  to  the  mill  with  a  grist. 
The  child  had  gone  down  for  the  third  time.  He 
jumped  from  the  horse,  and  threw  in  a  stone  where 
he  saw  the  bubbles  come  up.  Tige  instantly  fol 
lowed  the  stone,  and  brought  up  the  child  with 
just  the  breath  of  life  in  it. 

The  overjoyed  mother  hugged  the  child,  and 
then  hugged  Tige.  The  miller  gave  him  a  brass 


48  LION    BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

collar,  with  an  account  of  this  brave  act  engraved 
upon  it. 

Ever  after  this  he  had  a  warm  place  in  the  affec 
tions  of  the  whole  community,  and  was  almost  as 
much  beloved  and  respected  as  his  master. 

The  sentiments  of  the  young  folks,  in  respect  to 
Tige,  were  put  to  the  test  the  next  summer.  A  boy 
came  there  in  a  fishing  vessel,  who  was  full  of 
pranks,  had  never  received  any  culture,  knew  noth 
ing  of  the  history  of  Tige,  and  perhaps,  if  he  had, 
would  not  have  cared ;  to  gratify  a  malicious  dis 
position,  he  put  some  spirits  of  turpentine  on  him, 
causing  him  great  agony.  The  enraged  children 
enticed  the  boy  to  the  beach,  and  while  he  was  in 
swimming,  carried  oif  his  clothes,  and,  having  pre 
pared  themselves  with  sticks,  fell  upon  him  as  he 
came  out  of  the  water,  and  beat  him  to  a  jelly. 

A  few  days  after  the  event  just  narrated,  Captain 
Rhines  was  sitting  in  the  door  after  dinner,  when  he 
saw  little  Fannie  Williams,  the  miller's  daughter, 
coming  into  the  yard.  She  was  evidently  bent  on 
business  of  importance,  for,  though  passionately 
fond  of  flowers,  she  never  looked  at  the  lilies,  hol 
lyhocks,  and  morning  glories,  on  each  side  of  her, 
but  walking  directly  up  to  him,  and  putting  both 
hands  on  his  knees,  said,  with  the  tears  glistening 


TIGE    RHINES.  49 

in  her  little  eyes,  "  You  won't  whip  Tige,  will  you, 
if  he  does  do  naughty  things  ?  " 

"  God  bless  the  child  ! "  said  the  captain,  taking 
her  in  his  lap  and  kissing  her,  "have  you  come  way 
down  here  to  ask  me  that?" 

"Nobody  knowcd  it,  and  nobody  telled  me  to 
come;  I  corned  my  own  self,  'cause  he  shan't  be 
whipped.  Fannie  loves  Tige." 

"  You've  good  reason  to  love  him,  for  if  it  had 
not  been  for  him  you'd  been  a  dead  baby  now.  I 
never  will  whip  him,  nor  let  anybody  else." 

The  captain  then  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  led 
her  into  the  orchard,  where  he  picked  up  some 
pears,  and  put  in  af basket;  he  then  culled  a  bunch 
of  flowers  as  large  as  she  could  carry,  and  putting 
the  handle  of  the  basket  in  Tige's  mouth,  sent  him 
home  with  her.  The  little  girl,  with  her  fears  qui 
eted,  trudged  along,  putting  her  flowers  to  Tige's 
nose  for  him  to  smell  of,  telling  him  he  shouldn't 
be  licked,  'cause  Captain  Rhines  said  so. 
4 


.' 


50  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BEN'S  COURTSHIP. 

BEN  had  never  been  to  sea  with  his  father. 
Captain  Rhines  didn't  believe  it  was  a  good  plan 
for  relations  to  be  shipmates ;  he  didn't  want  his 
son  to  be  "ship's  cousin,"  but  to  rise  on  his  own 
merits,  as  his  father  had  done  before  him ;  and  if  he 
couldn't  do  that,  then  he  might  stay  down.  But 
Ben  had  proved  himself  to  be  a  man  of  capacity. 
The  owners  were  all  willing,  and  his  father  wanted 
him  to  take  the  ship  and  let  him  stay  at  home. 

Ben  gladly  accepted  the  offer,  and  was  making 
preparations  to  go ;  but  there  was  a  matter  of  great 
importance  for  him  to  settle,  before  he  left  home. 
Ben  loved  Sally  Hadlock,  though  he  had  never 
dared  to  tell  her  of  it. 

She  had  a  great  many  admirers  among  the  young 
men,  and  he  felt  that  it  was  risking  altogether  too 
much  to  go  on  a  long  voyage,  and  run  the  venture 
of  Sally's  being  snapped  up  by  some  of  them  be 
fore  his  return.  The  greatest  source  of  apprehen- 


BEN'S  COURTSHIP.  51 

sion  in  his  mind  was  the  fact,  that  he  heard  she 
had  said,  she  never  could,  nor  would,  marry  a  man 
that  followed  the  sea. 

Her  father  and  oldest  brother  were  lost  at  sea. 
Sally  could  never  forget  the  agony  of  her  mother 
when  her  father's  sea  chest  came  home,  nor  the 
trial  of  those  bitter  years,  during  which  she  and 
her  mother  had  struggled  along,  and  kept  the  fam 
ily  together  until  the  younger  children  grew  up. 

Sally  Hadlock  was  a  poor  girl,  but  she  was  as 
pretty  as  a  May  morning.  Though  she  knew 
scarcely  a  note  of  music,  she  could  warble  like  a 
bird,  and,  as  the  neighbors  said,  "she  was  facu- 
lized."  Everybody  loved  and  respected  Sally  for 
her  kindness  to  her  mother,  and  because  she  was 
as  modest  as  she  was  beautiful,  and  as  lively  as  a 
humming-bird.  Her  mother  idolized  her,  as  well 
she  might. 

Never  was  the  widow  so  happy  as  when,  over  a 
good  cup  of  souchong,  she  descanted  upon  the  fine 
qualities  of  her  daughter,  utterly  regardless  of 
Sally's  blushes,  and  whispered,  "  O,  don't,  mother." 
"Yes,"  the  old  lady  would  say,  shoving  her  spec 
tacles  up  on  her  cap,  and  stirring  slowly  her  tea, 
"  I'll  put  my  Sally,  though  I  say  it  that  shouldn't 
say  it,  for  taking  a  fleece  of  wool  as  it  comes  from 


52  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

the  sheep's  back,  and  making  it  into  cloth,  against 
any  girl  in  the  town  ;  and  then  she  always  has 
such  good  luck  making  soap,  and  such  luck  with 
her  bread!  she  beats  me  out  and  out  in  hot  biscuit. 
You  see  this  table-cloth ;  well,  she  spun  the  flax, 
and  bleached  the  thread,  drew  it  into  the  loom, 
and  wove  it,  all  sole  alone." 

Sally  was  not  without  some  dim  perception  of 
Ben's  attachment  to  her.  She  knew  that  he  was 
very  fond  of  her  brother  Sam ;  and  that  if  he 
wanted  to  borrow  anything  they  had,  he  would 
always  come  himself,  both  to  get  it  and  to  bring  it 
home. 

When  he  came  home  from  sea,  he  always 
brought  presents  for  the  widow  Hadlock.  Many 
of  them,  though  very  beautiful,  didn't  seem  alto 
gether  adapted  to  an  old  widow;  and  then  her 
mother  would  say,  "  Sally,  these  things  are  very 
beautiful,  but  I  shall  never  put  off  my  mourning 
for  your  dear  father ;  they  would  be  very  becoming 
to  you." 

Ben  went  to  singing-school,  in  the  school-house. 
A  young  man  had  recently  come  into  the  village 
from  Salem,  as  a  singing-master.  He  had  a  way 
that  took  mightily  with  the  girls.  This  excited  a 
general  antipathy  to  him  among  all  the  young  men 


BEN'S  COURTSHIP.  53 

in  the  place,  who,  since  his  advent,  found  them 
selves  at  a  discount  with  the  ladies.  Latterly,  his 
attentions  had  been  directed  particularly  to  Sally 
Hacllock,  as  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  village. 

The  house  being  crowded  one  evening,  Ben  had 
gone  into  the  seat  usually  reserved  for  the  singers. 
The  singing-master,  who  was  an  empty  coxcomb, 
with  nothing  but  good  looks  to  recommend  him, 
ordered  him  out.  Ben,  with  his  usual  good  nature, 
would  have  obeyed;  but  the  tone  was  so  contempt 
uous,  and  the  place  so  public  (probably  Sally's 
presence  might  have  had  something  to  do  with  it), 
that  it  stung ;  Ben  replied  that  he  sat  very  well, 
and  remained  as  he  was. 

This  drew  the  eyes  of  all  upon  him,  as  expecting 
something  interesting.  In  a  few  moments  his  tor 
mentor  returned,  and  assured  him,  if  he  did  not 
move,  and  that  quick,  he  would  be  put  out.  Upon 
this,  Ben  rose  up  to  his  full  height,  and  looking 
down  upon  the  frightened  man  of  music,  said,  "  I 
don't  think  there  are  men  enough  in  this  school- 
house  to  put  me  out." 

This  sally  was  received  with  a  universal  shout 
by  the  audience,  who  not  only  had  not  the  least 
doubt  of  the  fact,  but  also  rejoiced  in  the  discom 
fiture  of  the  puppy. 


54  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

Sally  was  very  much  grieved  at  the  master's 
insulting  treatment  of  Ben,  who  had  done  so  much 
for  her  mother.  It  is  said  that  all  women  are  hero- 
worshippers. 

When  she  saw  him  so  completely  frightened  out 
of  his  impertinence,  and  made  ridiculous,  noticed 
the  forbearance  of  Ben,  who  might  have  squat  him 
up  like  a  fly  between  his  fingers  and  thumb,  she 
became  conscious  of  a  tenderer  feeling  for  her  old 

O 

schoolmate,  who  that  night  went  home  with  her 
and  her  mother  for  the  first  time. 

Ben  now  determined  to  make  a  bold  push,  and 
go  and  see  Sally  Sunday  night,  though  he  knew 
she,  and  everybody  else,  would  know  what  it  meant. 
It  seems  very  singular  that  Ben  Rhines,  who  had 
been  half  over  the  world,  and  in  a  privateer,  should 
be  afraid  to  go  over  to  the  widow  Iladlock's  before 
dark ;  but  he  was :  so  he  broke  the  matter  to  his 
most  intimate  friend,  Sam  Johnson,  who  offered  to 
go  with  him  the  next  Sunday  night. 

It  was  a  pleasant  Sabbath  afternoon,  in  August, 
about  four  o'clock.  Captain  Rhines  had  been  sit 
ting  in  his  arm-chair  reading  the  Apocrypha,  and 
fell  asleep. 

Ben  was  sitting  at  the  window,  all  dressed  up, 
quite  nervous,  waiting  for  Sam. 


55 

Sam  came  at  length,  and  asked  Ben  if  he  wanted 
to  go  into  the  pastures  and  get  a  few  blueberries. 
Ben  assented,  when,  to  their  astonishment,  old 
Captain  Rhines  roused  up  and  inquired,  "  Where 
are  you  going,  boys  ?  " 

"We're  just  going  out  to  get  a  few  blueberries.'* 

"  Well,  I  don't  care  if  I  go,  too." 

Here  was  a  dilemma ;  but  love  helps  wit.  They 
found  a  thick  bush  for  the  old  gentleman  to  pick, 
crawled  away  on  their  hands  and  knees  to  a  safe 
distance,  then  got  on  their  feet,  and  ran  for  the 
widow  Hadlock's. 

The  old  captain  having  hallooed  for  them  long 
after  they  were  in  the  widow's  parlor,  finally  went 
home.  Just  as  they  expected,  they  were  asked  to 
stop  to  supper. 

After  supper,  Sally  and  her  mother  went  out  to 
milking,  while  Ben  and  Sam  leaned  on  the  fence  to 
look  at  them.  The  old  speckled  cow,  which  Sally 
had  milked  ever  since  she  was  a  girl,  acted  as  if 
bewitched  :  she  switched  Sally's  comb  out  of  her 
head  with  her  tail,  and  finally  put  her  foot  in  the, 
milk-pail. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  Sam  Johnson  unac 
countably  disappeared.  Ben  could  do  no  less  than 
offer  to  carry  in  the  milk  for  them ;  was  invited  to 


56  LION    BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

spend  the  evening ;  and  the  old  lady,  excusing  her 
self  on  account  of  ill  health,  slipped  off  to  bed,  and 
Ben  and  Sally  were  left  together. 

In  due  time  Ben  asked  Sally  if  she  liked  him 
well  enough  to  marry  him. 

Now  Sally  was  a  good,  sensible  New  England 
girl :  she  didn't  faint  nor  scream,  but  she  blushed  a 
little,  and  finally  consented  to  marry  him,  on  con 
dition  that  he  should  give  up  going  to  sea,  and  stay 
at  home  with  her. 

t>  The  reader  must  bear  in  mind  that  this  is  not  a 
love  scene  of  a  sensation  novel,  but  conversation 
of  people,  who,  loving  each  other  sincerely,  looked 
upon  married  life  as  a  sacred  obligation,  in  which 
they  put  their  whole  heart,  and  expected  to  find 
their  sole  happiness. 

Ben  did  not  therefore  reply  that  he  loved  Sally 
to  distraction,  that  he  could  not  exist  a  moment 
without  her,  and  that  he  would  never  dream  of 
going  to  sea  again  ;  but,  after  some  considerable 
hesitation,  he  at  length  moved  his  chair  nearer  to 
Sally,  and  looking  up  full  in  her  face,  said,  "  Sally, 
you  and  I  have  known  each  other  from  the  time 
we  made  bulrush  caps  together  in  your  mother's 
pasture,  when  we  were  children,  till  now ;  and  I 
think  you  know  me  well  enough  to  know  that  I 


BEN'S  COURTSHIP.  57 

am  a  man  of  few  words,  and  would  never  ask  a 
woman  to  many  me  unless  I  really  loved  her,  and 
intended  to  support  her,  for  you  know  that  must  be 
thought  of. 

"As  for  going  to  sea,  though  I  have  been  fortu 
nate,  and  risen  in  my  profession  faster  than  any 
young  man  in  town,  faster,  perhaps,  than  I  ought, — 
for  I  was  mate  of  a  ship  before  I  was  twenty, — 
though  I  have  no  renson  to  be  afraid  of  men,  and 
can  handle  the  roughest  of  them  like  children,  and 
care  nothing  for  hardship,  yet  I  never  liked  the 
sea.  O,  how  I  have  longed,  on  some  East  India 
voyage,  to  see  an  acre  of  green  grass,  or  hear  a 
robin  sing !  I  don't  like  to  feel  that  people  obey 
me  just  because  they  are  afraid  of  me,  and  to  go 
stalking  round  the  decks  like  some  of  those  giants 
we  read  of  in  the  old  story  books.  I  do  love  the 
land  better  than  the  sea.  I  love  the  flowers ;  I 
love  to  plough  and  hoe ;  I  love  to  see  things  grow. 
I'm  as  loath  to  go  to  sea  as  you  can  be  to  have  me ;" 
and  he  put  his  arm  around  her  neck  and  "  -ed 
her;  "but  the  seaman's  life  is  my  profession.  I 
have  spent  many  of  the  best  years  of  my  life,  em 
ployed  the  time  that  might  have  been  devoted  to 
learning  a  trade,  or  some  other  business  on  shore, 
in  fitting  myself  for  it.  I  now  have  a  ship  offered 


58  LION    BEX    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

me :  this  affords  me  at  once  the  opportunity  ol 
reaping  the  fruits  of  my  past  labor,  and  supporting 
a  wife ;  besides,  Sally,  we  are  both  poor.  You  may 
think  it  strange,  that,  as  I  have  been  officer  of  a 
vessel  for  some  time,  I  should  not  have  laid  up 
something ;  but  my  father  became  involved  some 
years  ago,  and  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  help  him  out ; 
and  I  am  neither  sorry  for  it  nor  ashamed  of  it. 
This  was  the  reason  I  did  not  dress  better,  because 
I  felt  that  I  ought  to  economize,  for  the  sake  of  the 
best  parents  ever  a  boy  had.  I  suppose  many  peo 
ple,  who  knew  I  was  earning  a  good  deal  of  money, 
thought  I  was  mean,  or  spent  it  in  some  bad  way ; 
and  perhaps  you  did." 

"  No,  Ben,"  replied  Sally ;  "  I  knew  better  than 
that.  I  knew  that,  if  you  didn't,  like  a  snail,  put 
everything  on  your  back,  you  were  always  ready 
to  help  any  one  who  needed  it ;  and  no  person  can 
go  on  long  in  a  bad  course  without  those  who  love 
them  finding  it  out." 

"You  see  how  it  is,  Sally,  if  I  take  this  ship,  I 
am  at  once  in  circumstances  to  be  married,  with 
the  prospect  of  a  comfortable  living.  To  be  sure, 
I  could  work  on  the  land,  for  I  was  a  farmer  till  I 
was  seventeen ;  but  then  I  should  have  to  run  in 
debt  to  buy  it.  There  is  not  much  money  to  be 


59 

got  off  a  farm  ;  it  always  took  about  what  father 
earned  to  pay  the  hired  help,  the  taxes,  and  family 
expenses,  and  he  soon  had  to  go  to  sea  again  for 
more." 

Poor  Sally  listened,  as  Ben   thus  placed  before 
her  the  "  inevitable  logic  of  facts." 
•    She  looked  first  this  way,  and   then   that,  and 
finally  laid  her  head  on  Ben's  shoulder,  and  cried 
like  a  child. 

Ben  was  greatly  distressed :  he  knew  not  what 
to  say,  and  remained  for  a  long  time  silent ;  at 
length  ho  said,  "  There  is  a  way  that  I  have  thought 
of,  but  I  didn't  like  to  mention  it,  for  fear  —  "  Here 
he  hesitated. 

"For  fear  of  what?"  cried  Sally,  lifting  her  head 
from  his  shoulder,  and  looking  at  him  through  her 
tears. 

"Why,  for  fear,  if  I  should  do  it,  and  you  should 
marry  me  on  the  strength  of  it,  and  we  should  be 
poor,  see  hard  times,  and  people  should  look  down 
0:1  us,  that  then  you  might  perhaps  feel — "  And 
here  he  stopped  again. 

"Feel  what?" 

"Why,"  stammered  Ben,  finding  he  must  out 
with  it,  "feel  that  if  you  had  only  married  some 
of  these  young  men  that  I  know  have  offered 


60  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

themselves  to  you,  and  that  had  rich  fathers,  in 
stead  of  poor  Ben  "Rhines,  you  wouldn't  have 
needed  to  have  brought  the  water  to  wash  your 
hands." 

"  When  I  marry,"  replied  Sally,  bluntly,  "  I  shall 
not  marry  anybody's  father,  but  the  boy  I  love. 
Now,  let's  hear  your  plan,  Ben." 

"You  know,"  he  replied,  more  slowly  than  he  had 
ever  spoken  before  in  his  whole  life,  "  the  island  off 
in  the  bay  that  father  has  had  the  care  of  so  many 
years  ?  " 

"What,  Elm  Island?" 

"  That's  it." 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  I've  been  there  a  hundred  times 
with  our  Sam  and  Seth  Warren,  after  berries." 

"  It's  the  best  land  that  ever  lay  out  doors,  cov 
ered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  spruce  and  pine,  fit 
for  spars ;  many  of  them  would  run  seventy  feet 
without  a  limb.  I  think  old  Mr.  Welch  would  sell 
it  on  credit  to  any  one  he  knew,  and  that  anybody 
might  cut  off  the  timber,  and  have  the  Innd,  and 
wood  enough  to  burn,  left  clear.  It  would  make  a 
splendid  farm,  and  a  man  might  pick  up  consid 
erable  money  by  gunning  and  fishing ;  but,"  said 
Ben,  his  countenance  falling,  "  what  a  place  for  a 
woman  !  No  society,  no  neighbors,  right  among  the 


61 

breakers  ;  and  sometimes,  in  the  winter,  there'll  be 
a  month  nobody  can  get  on  nor  off.  It  would  be  a 
good  place  to  get  a  living,  and  lay  up  money ;  but 
no  woman  would  go  on  there,  and  a  man  would 
be  a  brute  to  ask  her.  I'm  sorry  I  said  anything 
about  it." 

"  There's  one  woman  will  go  on  there,"  replied 
Sally,  "and  not  repent  of  it  after  she  gets  there 
either ;  and  that  woman's  Sally  Hadlock.  I  hold 
that  if  a  girl  loves  a  man  well  enough  to  marry 
him,  she'll  be  contented  where  he  is,  and  she  won't 
be  contented  where  he  isn't.  As  to  the  society,  I 
had  rather  be  alone  with  my  husband  than  have 
all  the  society  in  the  world  without  him.  I  had 
rather  be  on  an  island  with  my  husband,  working 
hard,  and  carrying  my  share  of  the  load,  than  to  be 
in  the  best  society,  and  have  every  comfort,  and 
at  the  same  time  know  that  my  husband  is  beating 
about  at  sea,  in  sickly  climates,  perhaps  dying,  with 
nobody  to  do  for  him,  in  order  to  support  me  in 
luxury  and  laziness,  or  in  circumstances  of  comfort 
which  he  cannot  enjoy  with  me  ;  and  I  say  that 
any  woman,  that  is  st  woman,  will  say  amen  to  it. 
We  may  have  a  hard  scratch  of  it  at  first,  and  have 
to  live  rough ;  but  I  have  always  been  poor;  it's 
nothing  new  to  me.  What  reason  on  earth  is 


62  LION   BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

there,  bating  sickness  or  death,  why  we  sliould  not 
get  along  ?  I've  always  maintained  myself,  and 
helped  maintain  my  mother  and  family.  You  have 
maintained  yourself,  paid  your  father's  debts,  and 
more  too,  for  you  have  helped  my  mother  lots." 

"  Yes,  but  I  was  going  to  sea  then,"  put  in  Ben. 

"  It  is  strange,  then,"  continued  Sally,  without 
heeding  the  interruption,  "that  we  two,  who  have 
supported  ourselves  and  other  folks,  can't  support 
our  own  selves.  I  see  how  it  is,  Ben ;  this  island 
can  be  bought  very  cheap,  on  account  of  the  dis 
advantages  of  living  on  it ;  that  you  can  pay  for  it 
by  your  own  labor,  and  see  no  other  way  of  getting 
your  living  on  the  land.  Is  that  it,  Ben  ?  " 

"  That  is  it." 

"  Well,  then,"  replied  this  noble  New  England 
girl,  reddening  to  the  very  roots  of  her  hair,  and 
her  eyes  flashing  through  her  tears,  "I  will  marry 
you,  and  go  to  that  island  with  you  ;  we  will  take 
the  bitter  with  the  sweet ;  we  will  suffer  and  enjoy 
together.  If  you  love  me  well  enough  to  give  up 
a  ship,  and  go  on  to  that  island  to  live  with  me,  I 
I  love  you  well  enough  to  go  on  it  and  be  happy 
with  you.  I  thank  God,  that  if  he  has  given  me  a 
handsome  face,  as  they  say,  he  has  not  given  me  an 
empty  head  nor  an  idle  hand  to  go  with  it.  I  have 


BEN'S  COURTSHIP.  63 

worked,  and  saved,  and  denied  myself  for  my 
mother  and  brothers,  and  have  been  right  happy 
and  well  thought  of  in  doing  it.  I  can  do  the  same 
for  my  husband  ;  and  if  any  think  less  of  me  on 
that  account,  I  shan't  have  them  for  next  door 
neighbors  to  twit  me  of  it.  My  home  is  in  my 
husband's  heart,  and  where  his  interest  and  duty 
lie." 

Ben  thought  she  never  looked  half  so  beautiful 
before,  and  imprinted  a  fervent  kiss  upon  the  lips 
that  had  uttered  such  noble  sentiments.  The  day 
was  breaking  as  they  separated. 


64  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

SALLY    TELLS    HER    MOTHER    ALL    ABOUT    IT. 

SALLY  slept  in  the  same  room  with  her  mother. 
The  old  lady  waked,  and  finding  Sally's  bed  not 
tumbled,  called  loudly  for  her  daughter.  When 
she  carne,  her  mother  said,  "  Why,  Sally,  your  bed 
has  not  been  tumbled  this  live-long  night ;  how 
flushed  you  look !  your  hair  is  all  of  a  frizzle, 
and  you've  been  crying :  what  is  the  matter  with 
you?" 

Poor  Sally,  nervous  and  excited  after  the  night's 
conflict,  made  a  clean  breast  of  it. 

"  Mother,  I've  said  I'd  have  Ben,  that  is,  if  you 
are  willing,"  and,  burying  her  face  in  the  pillow, 
she  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears.  The  good  old  lady 
was  not  so  much  troubled  by  tears  as  Ben  had 
been,  but,  putting  her  arms  round  her  daughter, 
said, "  That's  right,  dear ;  cry  as  much  as  you  please ; 
it'll  ease  your  mind,  and  do  you  good;"  and, 
wrapped  up  in  her  own  reflections  about  an  event  she 
had  long  foreseen,  patiently  waited  till  Sally  should 


SALLY    TELLS    HER    MOTHER.  ALL    ABOUT    IT.       65 

think  best  to  speak.  Finding  Sally  not  inclined  to 
break  the  silence,  she  said,  "  I  think  you  could  not 
have  done  better  than  to  be  engaged  to  Ben  ;  and 
I'm  sure  you  could  not  have  done  anything  so 
pleasing  to  me ;  that  is,  if  you  love  him,  for  that  is 
the  main  thing. 

"  I've  always  told  you  it  is  very  wrong  for  a  girl 
to  marry  a  man  whom  she  doesn't  love ;  it  isn't 
right  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  always  leads  to 
misery.  Ben  isn't  so  good-looking  as  some  young 
men,  nor  rich  in  this  world's  goods ;  but  he  has 
good  learning  and  good  manners :  he  is  of  a  good 
family;  can  do  more  work  than  any  three  young 
men  in  town ;  and  for  all  he  is  such  a  giant,  never 
gives  a  misbeh olden  word  to  any  one.  '  You've 
known  him  from  childhood.  It's  a  great  deal  bet 
ter  to  marry  him  with  only  the  clothes  to  his  back, 
and  the  good  principles  that  are  in  hii'n,  than  to 
marry  some  one  who  is  rich  and  handsome  now, 
may  die  a  drunkard,  and  perhaps,  some  time,  throw 
up  to  your  poverty." 

"O,  I  know  all  that,  mother;  but  there's  some 
thing  else,  which,  perhaps,  I  ought  not  to  have 
done  without  asking  you.  I've  promised  to  go  and 
live  on  Elm  Island,  right  in  the  woods,  and  among 
the  breakers ; "  and  then  she  told  her  mother  every 
5 


66  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

word  that  she  and  Ben  had  said,  from  beginning  to 
end,  throwing  in,  as  a  sweetener,  a  circumstance 
which  she  knew  would  have  great  influence  with 
her  parent ;  "  but  then,  you  know,  he  has  promised 
never  to  go  to  sea  any  more." 

She  was  most  agreeably  disappointed  when  the 
widow,  after  a  little  pause,  replied  in  her  mild  way, 
"I  not  only  approve  of  what  you've  done,  but 
should  have  been  very  sorry  if  you  had  done  other 
wise.  Your  grandmother,  girl,  was  born  in  old 
RowTley,  Massachusetts,  was  brought  up  to  have 
everything  she  wanted,  and  knew  nothing  of  hard 
ships;  but  she  married  your  grandfather  because 
she  loved  him,  though  he  was  a  poor  man.  They 
came  down  here,  and  took  up  this  farm  when  it 
was  all  woods.  I've  stood  in  the  door  of  our  old 
house,  and  seen  eleven  wolves  come  off  Birch  Point 
and  go  on  the  ice  to  Oak  Island  :  one  of  them  had 
lost  his  leg  in  a  trap,  and  could  not  keep  up  with 
the  rest,  and  they  would  squat  down  on  the  ice  and 
wait  for  him.  They  burnt  up  their  first  house  in 
clearing  the  land,  and  had  to  live  in  a  brush  camp 
till  they  built  another.  I've  heard  mother  say,  a 
hundred  times,  that  the  happiest  years  of  her  life 
were  those  hard  years;  that  the  anticipation  of 
living  easier  by  and  by,  and  having  a  good  farm, 


SALLY    TELLS    HER    MOTHER    ALL    ABOUT    IT.       67 

was  better  than  the  good  farm  when  they  got  it ; 
that  there  was  nothing  in  her  well-to-do  life  after 
wards  to  compare  with  the  satisfaction  of  looking 
back  to  those  hard  times  when  she  had  the  strength 
to  endure  those  hardships.  Then  her  face  would 
light  up,  her  eyes  kindle,  and  the  color  come  into 
her  old  cheeks ;  and  as  I  looked  at  her,  I  used  to 
hope  that  I  should  live  to  see  such  pleasant  hard 
ships,  to  be  glad  of  and  tell  about  when  I  was  old. 
"  Well,  Sally,  I've  had  troubles,  and  Utter  c ones ; 
the  sea  has  been  a  devourer  to  me ;  but  not  hard 
ships,  because  I  married  and  lived  at  home;  but 
you  have  the  chance,  girl,  to  know  something  about 
it.  Don't  be  afraid  of  being  poor;  people  here 
don't  know  what  poverty  is.  Go  to  Liverpool,  if 
you  want  to  see  what  real  poverty  is,  as  I  have 
been  many  a  time  with  your  poor  father,  who  is 
dead  and  gone.  A  man  with  a  farm  is  sure  of  a 
living,  and  a  good  one,  too  ;  the  farmers  feed  the 
world,  and  they  are  great  fools  if  they  don't  lick 
their  own  fingers.  Two  thirds  of  the  merchants 
fail ;  a  great  many  seamen  die  at  sea,  and  it's  a 
dog's  life  at  best.  The  sailor  is  only  anxious  when 
the  wind  blows ;  but  the  wind  blows  all  the  time 
for  the  poor  wife  at  home,  and  her  pillow  is  often 
wet  with  tears. 


68  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"  The  last  time  I  was  in  Rowley,  I  saw  rich  men's 
sons,  whose  fathers  scorned  your  grandfather  be 
cause  he  was  a  farmer,  going  about  killing  hogs 
and  cutting  wood  for  folks.  1  For  a  farmer  to  kill 
his  own  hogs,  or  to  change  work  with  his  neigh 
bors  to  kill  theirs,  then  they  help  him  kill  his,  or  to 
cut  his  own  wood,  is  a  very  different  thing  from 
what  it  is  for  people,  who  felt  as  large  as  they  did 

once,  and,  in   their   pride   and    prosperity,  looked 

down  on  every  one  that  labored,  to  have  to  do  it_ 
for  a  living.  'Your  grandmother  said,  it  used  to 
make  her  blood  run  cold  to  see  them  come  into 
the  house  of  God  with  such  an  air,  getting  up  and 
sitting  down  two  or  three  times,  flaunting  with 
their  '  ribbins,'  and  chattering  like  a  striped  squirrel 
on  the  side  of  a  tree.  I  was  up  there  the  year  be 
fore  Sam  was  born  ;  and  now  to  see  how  they  live  ! 
just  the  least  little  scriffin  of  bread  and  butter,  or  a 
little  pie ;  the  least  little  piece  of  meat,  about  as 
big  as  your  hand,  which  they  run  to  the  butcher's 
to  get,  for  they  never  have  anything  in  the  cellar; 
then,  instead  of  doing  as  we  do,  cutting  it  thick, 
and  telling  everybody  to  help  themselves,  they  cut 
it  into  little  slices  and  help  them,  for  fear,  I  sup 
pose,  they  should  take  too  much  ;  and  then  so  many 
compliments  to  so  little  victuals !  But  they  put  it 


SALLY    TELLS    HER    MOTHER    ALL    ABOUT    IT.       69 

on  their  backs,  Sally ;  that's  what  they  do  with  it ; 
they  put  it  on  their  backs.  As  they  have  no  hearty 
victuals  and  hard  work  to  give  them  color,  they 
paint  their  faces,  and  look  out  of  the  windows,  as 
Jezebel  did  :  they  spend  most  all  their  time  look 
ing  out  of  the  windows." 

Sally  rejoiced  to  find  that,  when  following  the 
inclinations  of  her  own  heart,  she  had  done  just 
right ;  and  with  a  face  from  which  every  trace  of 
tears  had  vanished,  replied,  "I  thought  I  knew 
your  mind,  mother ;  but  I  must  go  and  get  break 
fast,  for  I  thought  I  heard  Sam  getting  up." 


70  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BEN    BUYS    ELM    ISLAND. 

BEN  went  to  Boston  to  see  the  old  merchant, 
whom  he  knew  very  well,  having  often  seen  him 
at  his  father's  when  he  was  on  his  summer  visits. 
\  The  good  merchant,  who  had  been  a  poor  boy,  and 
earned  his  property  by  his  own  industry,  and  was 
both  too  wise  and  too  good  to  value  himself  by  his 
wealth,  received  Ben  so  kindly,  that  he  told  him 
all  his  heart ;  what  he  wanted  the  island  for,  of  the 
promise  he  had  made  to  Sally,  and  all  about  it.  He 
commended  Ben ;  told  him  he  knew  Sally's  father 
(that  he  had  sailed  for  him),  and  her  mother,  too ; 
she_was  of  good  blood;  there  was  a  great  deal 
the  blood.  IIo  told  him  ho  would  have  u  happy 
life;  that  he  had  ^always  regretted  he  had  not 
been  a  farmer  himself.  He  had  worked  night  and 
day,  amassed  a  large  property,  educated  his  family, 
and  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  they  would 
be  a  source  of  happiness  to  him  ;  but  his  children 
were  indolent,  knew  he  had  wealth,  and  had  no 


BEN    BUYS    ELM    ISLAND.  71 

desire  to  do  anything  for  themselves;  he  feared 
they  would  spend  his  money  faster  than  he  had 
earned  it.  "Indeed,  Ben,"  replied  the  merchant, 
with  a  sigh,  "I  would  much  rather  take  your 
chance  for  happiness,  and  a  comfortable  living  in 
this  world,  than  that  of  either  of  my  sons." 

Ben  was  utterly  amazed.  He  had  thought,  when 
looking  upon  that  splendid  furniture,  and  wealth 
and  taste  there  displayed,  that  people  in  such  cir 
cumstances  must  be  extremely  happy ;  but,  as  he 
was  not  deficient  in  shrewdness,  he  learned  a  les 
son  that  effectually  repressed  any  desire  to  murmur 
at  his  own  lot. 

The  merchant  then  said  to  him,  "  Mr.  Rhines,  if 
you  were  buying  this  island  on  speculation,  I  should 
charge  you  a  round  price  for  it,  as  the  timber  is 
valuable,  easy  of  access  by  water,  the  taxes  are 
merely  nominal,  and  your  father  prevents  it  from 
being  plundered  ;  but  as  you  are  buying  it  to  make 
a  home  of,  and  I  know  what  you  have  done  for 
your  father,  —  for  he  told  me  himself,  —  I  shall  let 
you  have  it  at  a  low  rate,  and  any  length  of  time 
you  wish  to  pay  for  it  in." 

As  they  parted,  he  encouraged  Ben  by  telling 
him  that  a  Down-easter  would  get  rich  where  any 
body  else  would  starve. 


72  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  October.  Ben  pro 
posed  that  they  should  be  married ;  Sally  should 
live  with  her  mother  during  the  winter,  while  he 
went  on  to  the  island,  cut  a  freight  of  spars,  dug  a 
cellar  before  the  ground  froze,  and  made  prepara 
tions  for  building  in  the  spring.  But  Sally  declared 
she  would  as  lief  have  Ben  at  sea  as  have  him  on 
this  island,  running  back  arid  forth  in  the  cold 
winter ;  that  after  a  man  had  been  at  work  a  whole 
week,  he  didn't  want  to  pull  a  boat  six  miles,  and 
be  wet  all  through  with  spray ;  that  there  would 
be  a  great  many  days,  when,  if  he  was  off,  he  could 
not  get  on,  and  if  he  was  on,  he  could  not  get  off, 
and  there  would  be  a  great  deal  of  time  lost.  Man 
and  wife  ought  not  to  be  separated ;  'twas  no  way  to 
live  ;  she  would  go  to  the  island  and  live  with  him. 

"  Live  where,  Sally  ?  "  inquired  Ben. 

"  Why,  with  you.  I  suppose  you  will  live  some 
where  —  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Well,"  replied  Ben,  with  a  comical  look  at  his 
great  limbs,  "I  can  live  anywhere  a  Newfoundland 
dog  can ;  but  I  shouldn't  want  you  to,  nor  should  I 
consent  to  it.  I  expect  to  take  some  hands  with 
me,  build  a  half-faced  cabin,  good  enough  for  us  to 
live  in,  cut  spars  and  timber,  build  a  house  next 
summer,  and  move  in  the  fall." 


BEN    BUYS    ELM    ISLAND.  73 

"  It'll  cost  you  a  good  deal  to  build  this  house." 

"  Why,  yes.  I  can  get  the  frame  on  the  island, 
and  the  stuff  for  the  boards  and  shingles.  I  shall 
have  to  buy  bricks,  and  lime,  and  nails,  and  hire  a 
joiner." 

"  What  does't  cost  to  build  a  log  house  ?  " 

"  Next  to  nothing,  because  we  can  build  them  of 
logs  that  are  fit  for  nothing  else." 

"  Are  they  warm  ?  " 

"  Warmest  things  that  ever  you  saw.  The 
boards  on  a  house  are  only  an  inch  thick,  but  you 
can  have  the  logs  three  feet  thick,  if  you  like." 

"  Are  they  tight  ?  " 

"  They  can  be  made  as  tight  as  a  cup." 

"  I  don't  think,  then,  a  Newfoundland  dog  would 
be  likely  to  suffer  much  in  your  shanty." 

"  I  was  telling  how  a  log  house  could  be  made. 
I  don't  expect  to  take  much  pains  with  mine." 

"  Would  not  all  this  timber  that  you  are  going 
to  make  frame,  boards,  and  shingles  of,  fetch  a  good 
price  in  the  market  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  it  would  nearly  all  make  spars." 

"  Then  you  should  build,  instead  of  a  half-faced 
cabin,  a  real  log  house,  '  three  feet  thick,'  if  you 
like,  and  '  as  tight  as  a  cup.'  I'll  go  on  with  you ; 
it'll  be  a  great  deal  better  than  to  take  turns  in 


74  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

cooking,  and  live  like  pigs,  as  men  always  do  when 
they  live  together.  I've  heard  you  say  you  had 
rather  eat  off  a  chip,  and  then  throw  it  away,  than 
eat  off  a  china  plate,  and  have  to  wash  it  when  you 
were  done ;  then  there  would  be  no  time  lost. 
When  you  came  in  from  your  work  you  would 
have  your  meals  warm,  and  we  would  have  a  real 
sociable  time  in  the  evening." 

"  O,  that  will  never  do." 

"  But  it  will  do,  Ben  ;  you've  just  said  that  a 
log  house  was  warm  and  comfortable." 

"  Indeed  it  is,"  chimed  in  the  old  lady,  who,  with 
her  spectacles  above  her  cap,  and  her  hands  upon 
her  knees,  sat  leaning  forward,  her  whole  soul  in 
her  face,  while  the  favorite  cat,  who  for  twenty 
years  had  spent  the  evening  in  her  patron's  lap, 
stood  with  one  paw  upon  her  mistress's  knee,  and 
the  other  uplifted  with  an  air  of  astonishment  at 
being  prevented  from  securing  her  accustomed 
place,  —  "indeed  it  is.  Mother  used  to  say  this 
house  never  began  to  be  so  warm  or  so  tight  as 
the  old  log  house." 

"  O,  dear,  Sally  ! "  exclaimed  Ben,  greatly  trou 
bled  ;  "  I  thought  'twas  bad  enough  to  take  you  on 
to  the  island  to  live  at  all,  and  now  you  insist  on 
living  in  a  log  house.  What  will  folks  say  ?  They 


BEN    BUYS    ELM    ISLAND.  75 

will  say,  there's  Sally  Hadlock,  that  might  have  had 
her  pick  of  the  likeliest  fellows  in  town,  and  never 
have  had  to  bring  the  water  to  wash  her  hands, 
has  taken  up  with  Ben  Khines,  and  gone  to  live  in 
a  log  shanty  on  Elm  Island." 

"  Look  here,  Ben,"  replied  Sally ;  "  suppose  my 
father  had  been  a  fisherman,  and  lived  on  Elm 
Island ;  wouldn't  you  have  come  on  there  and  lived 
with  me,  though  all  the  young  fellows  in  town  had 
said,  There's  Ben  Rhines,  that  might  have  been 
master  of  as  fine  a  ship  as  ever  swum,  has  taken 
up  with  old  Hadlock's  daughter,  and  gone  to  live 
on  Elm  Island  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  I  would." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Sally,  coloring,  "  I  hope  you 
don't  want  me  to  say,  right  here  before  mother, 
that  I'd  rather  live  on  Elm  Island,  in  a  log  house, 
with  the  boy  I  love,  than  with  the  best  of  them  in 
a  palace.  I  want  to  bring  the  water  to  wash  my 
hands.  I  don't  believe  that  God  made  us  to  be 
idle,  or  that  we  are  any  happier  for  being  so." 

"  That's  right,"  shouted  the  old  lady,  in  ecstasies, 
rising  up  and  kissing  her  daughter's  cheek ;  "  that's 
the  old-fashioned  sort  of  love,  that  will  wear  and 
make  happiness,  and  its  all  the  thing  on  this  earth 
that  will ;  it  will  bear  trial ;  it  is  a  fast  color,  and 


76  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

won't  fade  out  in  washing.  Most  young  people 
nowadays  want  to  begin  where  their  fathers  left 
off,  and  they  end  with  running  out  all  that  their 
fathers  left  them.  You're  willing  to  begin  and  cut 
your  garment  according  to  your  cloth,  and  you  will 
prosper  accordingly." 


CAPTAIN   RHINES    BIDING    OUT    A   GALE.          77 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CAPTAIN    RHINE  S    RIDING    OUT    A    GALE    BEFORE 
THE    FIRE. 

THE  morning  succeeding  Ben's  return  from  Bos 
ton  gave  tokens  of  a  coming  storm. 

"  Ben,"  said  Captain  Rhines,  "  we're  going  to 
have  a  gale  of  wind ;  here's  an  old  roll  coming 
from  the  east'ard,  and  the  surf  is  roaring  on  the 
White  Bull.  Let  us  take  the  canoe,  slip  over  to 
Elm  Island,  and  get  a  couple  of  lambs,  before  it 
comes  on.  I'm  hankering  after  some  fresh  '  grub.' " 

When,  having  caught  the  lamb,  they  were  pull 
ing  out  of  the  harbor,  the  old  gentleman,  resting  on 
his  oar,  looked  back  upon  the  mass  of  forest,  and 
said,  "What  a  tremenjus  growth  here  is!  here  are 
masts  and  yards,  bowsprits  and  topmasts,  for  a  ship 
of  the  line  ;  and  there's  no  end  of  the  small  spars 
and  ranging  timber ;  a  great  deal  of  it,  too,  ought 
to  be  cut,  for  it  has  got  its  growth,  and  will  soon 
be  foiling  down.  It  is  first-rate  land,  and  would 
make  a  capital  farm  after  it's  cleared.  I  wish  old 


78  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

father  Welch  had  to  give  it  to  me  ;  he  never  would 
miss  it.  I  believe  my  soul  all  he  keeps  it  for  is  for 
the  sake  of  coming  down  here  once  in  three  or 
four  years,  and  going  over  there  gunning  'long 
with  me." 

At  noon  the  gale  came  on  with  great  violence. 
The  captain  took  advantage  of  the  stormy  after 
noon  to  kill  a  lamb,  and  have  a  regular  "tuck  out" 
on  a  sea-pie.  Under  his  directions,  Mrs.  Ilhines 
lined  the  large  pot  with  a  thick  crust,  put  in  the 
lamb  and  slices  of  pork,  with  flour,  water,  and 
plenty  of  seasoning,  and  covered  the  whole  with  a 
crust,  which  Captain  Rhines  pricked  full  of  holes 
with  his  marline-spike. 

In  addition  to  this  were  pudding,  pies,  and  fried 
apples ;  coffee,  which  was  seldom  indulged  in  at 
that  day ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  a  decanter  of 
Holland  gin  beside  his  plate.  When  they  had  de 
spatched  this  substantial  repast,  the  family,  eight  in 
number,  all  drew  up  around  the  fire.  The  old 
house  shook  with  the  violence  of  the  gale ;  the 
rain  came  down  in  torrents ;  the  roar  of  the  surf 
was  distinctly  heard  in  the  intervals  of  the  gusts, 
while  the  blaze  went  up  the  great  chimney  in 
sheets  of  flame. 

The  old  seaman  flung  off  his  coat,  kicked  off  his 


CAPTAIN   BRINES    BIDING    OUT    A    GALE.          79 

boots,  and  sitting  down  in  the  midst  of  this  happy 
circle,  while  the  cheerful  light  flickered  around  his 
weather-beaten  form,  animated  by  as  noble  a  heart 
as  ever  throbbed  in  human  breast,  cried,  as  he  lis 
tened  to  the  clatter  without,  "Blow  away,  my 
hearty;  while  she  cracks  she  holds  ;  let  them  that's 
got  the  watch  on  deck  keep  it ;  it's  my  watch  be 
low  ;  eight  hours  in  to-night." 

He  then  sat  some  time  in  silence,  with  his  hands 
clasped  over  his  knees,  and  looking  into  a  great  bed 
of  rock-maple  coals.  Rousing  up  at  length,  he  laid 
his  hard  hand  on  his  wife's  shoulder,  and,  with  an 
expression  of  heartfelt  happiness  on  his  rugged  fea 
tures,  that  was  perfectly  contagious,  said,  "Mary,  I 
do  believe  I've  never  had  one  hardship  too  many. 
When  I  think  how  poor  I  began  life ;  what  my 
parents  suffered  before  they  got  the  land  cleared  ; 
why,  I've  seen  my  poor  father  hoe  corn  when  he 
was  so  weak  from  hunger  that  he  could  scarcely 
stand.  There  were  times  when  WQ  should  have 
starved  to  death,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  old  dog 
(stooping  down  and  patting  Tige's  head,  who  lay 
stretched  out  before  the  fire,  with  his  nose  on  his 
master's  foot).  How  glad  I  felt  as  I  carried  them 
the  first  dollar  I  ever  earned !  and  how  glad  they 
were  to  get  it !  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  when  I  hear 


80  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

the  wind  whistle,  and  the  sea  roar,  as  it  does  now, 
I  can't  help  thinking  how  many  such  nights  on 
ship's  deck,  wet,  worn  out,  listening  to  the  roar  of 
the  surf,  and  expecting  the  anchors  to  come  home 
every  minute;  next  'vige'  perhaps  in  the  West 
Indies ;  men  dying  all  around  me,  like  sheep,  with 
the  yellow  fever  and  black  vomit.  When  I  look 
back,  and  feel  it's  all  over,  that  I've  got  enough  to 
carry  me  through,  can  do  what  little  duty  I'm  fit  for, 
among  my  comforts,  and  surrounded  by  my  family, 
I  don't  believe  I  ever  could  have  had  the  feelings 
I've  got  in  my  bosom  to-night,  before  this  comfort 
able  fire,  if  I  hadn't  been  through  the  cold,  the 
hunger,  the  dangers,  and  all  the  other  miseries 
first;"  and  he  rolled  up  his  sleeves  in  the  very 
wantonness  of  enjoyment,  to  feel  the  grateful 
warmth  of  fire  on  his  bare  flesh. 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  do  feel  so,  husband,"  re 
plied  his  wife ;  "  as  you  say,  you've  enough  to  carry 
you  through,  as  far  as  this  life  is  concerned ;  but 
there  is  another  life  after  this,  and,  perhaps,  if  we 
get  to  the  better  world,  that  also  will  seem  sweeter 
for  all  the  crosses  we  take  up,  and  the  self-denial 
we  go  through  in  getting  there.  I've  often  told 
you,  Benjamin,  that  you  lack  but  one  thing ;  for 
surely  never  woman  had  a  kinder  husband,  or 


CAPTAIN    RHINES    KIDING    OUT    A    GALE.  81 

children  a  better  father,  than  you  have  always 
been." 

"  God  bless  you,  Mary  ! "  exclaimed  the  old  sea 
man  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart ;  "  I've  never  been 
half  so  good  a  husband  as  I  ought,  and  must  often 
have  hurt  your  feelings ;  for  I'm  a  rough  old  sea- 
dog;  never  had  any  bringing  up,  but  grew  up  just 
like  the  cattle. 

,  "  I  never  see  John  Strout  but  it  puts  me  in  mind 
of  his  oldest  brother,  George.  We  both  of  us 
shipped  for  the  first  time,  as  able  seamen,  in  the 
same  vessel ;  we  were  about  of  an  age  — <  townies ; ' 
both  in  the  same  watch,  full  of  blue  veins  and  vit 
riol,  and  Avere  forever  trying  titles  to  see  which  was 
the  best  man.  It  was  hard  work  to  tell,  when  the 
watch  was  called,  whose  feet  struck  the  floor  first, 
his'n  or  mine.  If  he  got  into  the  rigging  before  I 
did,  I'd  go  up  hand  over  fist  on  the  back-stay.  I've 
known  him  to  go  on  the  topsail  yard  in  his  shirt- 
flaps  to  get  ahead  of  me.  We  allers  made  it  a 
p'int  to  take  the  weather  earing,  or  the  bunt  of  a 
sail,  away  from  the  second  mate,  who  was  the 
owner's  nephew,  and  put  over  the  head  of  his 
betters." 

"  Was  that  the  reason,  father,"  said  Ben,  "  you 
wouldn't  let  me  go  to  sea  with  you  ?" 
6 


82  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied.  "  I've  seen  enough  of  these 
half-and-half  fellers  pot  in  to  command  before  they 
are  fit  for  it,  just  to  lose  better  men's  lives,  and  de 
stroy  other  people's  property." 

"  I  think  you  have  the  right  of  it,  father.  I 
don't  believe  I  shall  ever  be  sorry  that  I  came  in 
at  the  hawsehole,  instead  of  the  cabin  windows." 

"One  terrible  dark  night,  in  the  Gulf,"  continued 
the  old  man,  "  all  hands  were  on  the  yard  trying 
to  furl  the  fore-topsail ;  my  sheath-knife  was  jammed 
between  my  body  and  the  yard,  so  that  I  couldn't 
get  at  it ;  I  reached  and  took  his'n  out  of  the 
sheath,  which  he  wore  behind,  and  used  it;  but 
when  I  went  to  put  it  back  again,  he  was  gone ; 
when  or  how  he  went,  nobody  ever  knew.  I  was 
young  then,  and  new  at  such  things.  We  had 
allers  been  together.  I  couldn't  keep  it  out  of  my 
mind,  and  didn't  want  to  stay  in  the  vessel  after 
that,  for  everything  I  took  hold  of  made  me  think 
of  him." 

"Don't  you  think,  husband,"  said  his  wife,  "that 
we  ought  to  think  where  our  blessings  come  from, 
and  not  to  think  it's  all  our  own  work  ? '-' 

Though  Captain  Rhines  had  a  rugged  temper  of 
his  own  when  roused,  with  only  the  education  he 
had  picked  up  at  sea,  and  the  culture  acquired  by 


CAPTAIN    RHINES    RIDING    OUT    A    GALE.  83 

friction  as  he  was  knocked  about  in  the  world,  yet 
he  was  perfectly  moral,  and  temperate  for  that  day ; 
that  is,  lie  was  never  intoxicated.  He  had  a  great 
respect  for  religion,  especially  his  wife's,  she  being 
a  woman  of  admirable  judgment  and  ardent  piety. 
She  was  not  in  the  practice  of  reproving  every  un 
guarded  expression,  and  annoying  him  with  exhor 
tations  ;  telling  the  ministers  her  anxieties  and 
fears  about  him,  and  urging  them  to  talk  to  him 
on  the  spot,  whether  they  were  in  a  frame  to  con 
verse,  or  he  to  listen.  She  was  satisfied  he  knew 
where  her  heart  was,  that  she  prayed  earnestly  for 
him,  and  let  it  rest  at  that,  save  when,  as  on  the 
present  occasion,  he  put  the  words  in  her  mouth. 

"Well,  wife,"  he  replied,  willing  to  change  the 
subject,  "  you've  got  religion  enough  for  both 
of  us." 

"No,  husband,  that  must  be  every  one's  own 
work." 

"  That  ain't  all,  neither.  How  many  years  was 
I  going  to  sea,  just  coming  home  to  look  in  to  the 
door,  and  say,  '  How  are  you  all  ? '  then  off  again, 
leaving  you  to  manage  farm,  family,  and  hired  help ! 
Why,  I  had  scarcely  any  more  care  of  my  family 
than  an  ostrich  has  of  her  eggs.  It  seems  so  much 
more  happy  to  be  with  them  now,  on  that  very 


84  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

account !  I'm  half  a  mind  to  believe  what  I  then 
thought  to  be  the  worst  trial  of  all,  was  a  blessing, 
too.  I  only  wish  that  great  critter  over  there  in 
the  corner,"  pointing  to  Ben,  "  could  get  half  so 
good  or  good-looking  a  wife  as  his  mother  is  ;  but 
he's  so  homely,  and  there's  so  much  of  it,  I'm 
afraid  there's  not  a  ghost  of  a  chance  for  him." 

At  this  there  was  a  general  titter  amongst  the 
young  folks.  Ben  could  hold  in  no  longer,  but 
astonished  his  parents  by  telling  them  what  he  had 
done,  and  what  he  meant  to  do. 

"  By  heavens,  Ben  ! "  exclaimed  his  father,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet,  "  you've  been  fishing  to  some  pur 
pose;  I'd  moor  head  and  stern  to  that  girl,  and  lie 
by  her  as  long  as  cables  and  anchor  would  hold." 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  build  a  log  house,"  said 
Ben  ;  "and  they've  been  out  of  use  so  long  round 
here,  I  don't  know  anybody  that  does." 

"  I  do.  Isaac  Murch  ;  he  helped  tear  down  our 
old  log  house,  when  I  was  a  boy.  I  suppose  you 
know  he  is  the  most  ing'nious  critter  that  ever 
lived.  I  believe  he  could  make  a  man,  if  he  should 
set  out  for  it;  and  I  don't  know  but  he  could  put 
a  soul  in  him  after  he  was  done.  Your  grand 
father  was  old  and  childish,  and  hated  to  have  the 
house  torn  down ;  so  I  got  Isaac  to  make  a  model 


CAPTAIN    RHINES    BIDING    OUT    A    GALE.  85 

of  it,  to  please  him.  I  know  that  he  could  make 
one  exactly  like  it,  if  he  had  a  mind  to.  I  really 
think  I  should  come  to  see  you  a  good  deal  oftener 
if  you  were  living  in  the  old  house,  or  one  that 
looked  just  like  it." 

"  But,  father,  he  wouldn't  work  out." 

"  He'd  do  most  anything  to  accommodate  you  or 
Sally  Hadlock;  for,  when  her  father  was  living,  he 
and  Isaac  were  like  two  fingers  on  one  hand.  I 
believe  he  thinks  as  much  of  the  Hadlock  children 
as  he  does  of  his  own.  There's  no  knowing  how 
much  he's  done  for  those  children  first  and  last." 

The  next  day  Ben  rode  over  to  Isaac's,  who, 
with  his  wife,  gave  him  a  warm  welcome. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  she,  "  are  you  engaged  to  be 
married  to  Sally  Hadlock  ?  At  any  rate,  I  heard 
so,  and  it  come  pretty  straight ;  own  up  like  a  man ; 
murder  will  out." 

"  If  it  is  so,  I  hope  it's  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of." 

"  Ben  Rhines,  if  you've  got  Sally  Hadlock,  it's 
the  best  day's  work  you  ever  did  in  your  life." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you'll  say  when  I  tell  you 
the  rest  of  it."  He  then  informed  them  that  he 
had  bought  Elm  Island,  and  was  going  to  live 
on  it. 

"  But,  Ben,  is  Sally  willing  to  go  on  that  island 


86  '  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

to  live  ?  I'm  sure  I  should  be  frightened  to  death 
to  live  there." 

"  'Twas  her  own  plan.  She  wouldn't  hear  to 
mTj  going  to  sea ;  and  when  I  said  I  didn't  know 
of  any  way  to  live  ashore,  unless  I  bought  that 
island,  she  said  'twas  just  the  thing.  I  was  intend 
ing  to  build  a  frame  house  next  summer;  but  she 
says, '  Build  a  log  house,  go  right  into  it,  and  build  a 
frame  house  when  you're  better  able ;'  and  declares 
she'll  live  in  a  log  house,  and  nothing  else.  I  had 
money  enough,  that  I  got  privateering,  to  have 
bought  the  island,  and  built  the  house  on't ;  but  I 
felt  it  my  duty  to  help  my  father  out  of  his  diffi 
culties." 

"  Goodness !  gracious  !  goodness  me  ! "  exclaimed 
Hannah  Murch,  holding  up  both  hands.  "  Ben 
R-hines,  are  you  a  wizard,  to  bewitch  the  girls  after 
this  fashion  ?  Such  offers  as  that  girl  has  had,  to 
my  sartin  knowledge !  She  loves  you,  Ben,  and 
you  may  be  sure  of  that  to  begin  with.  Well! 
well !  well !  this  beats  all  the  story  books." 

"  She's  just  right,"  said  Isaac.  "  She  knows  that 
Ben  gives  up  the  cap'in's  berth  to  please  her ;  that 
he'll  have  a  hard  scratch  of  it,  and  she  means  to 
scratch,  too.  You're  just  right,  both  of  you." 

"Now,  Uncle  Isaac,"  said  Ben,  "this  house  must 


CAPTAIN    EHIXES    BIDING    OUT    A    GALE.  87 

go  right  up.  Will  you  go  on  with  rne  and  another 
man,  and  'boss'  the  job?" 

"  I  will,  Ben  ;  and  I  won't  turn  my  back  to  any 
body  for  building  a  log  house." 

"To-day  is  Thursday.  I  should  like  to  begin 
Monday,  if  you  can  come." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  anything  to  hender ;  if  you 
haven't  got  anybody  looked  out  to  help  you,  I  think 
you'd  better  get  Joe  Griffin  ;  he's  a  strapping  stout 
feller,  handy  with  an  axe,  or  any  kind  of  tools.  I 
know  he'll  go;  and  if  you  say  so,  I'll  briijg  him 
along  with  me,  and  we'll  be  at  the  landing  at  sun 
rise,  or  thereabouts." 

During  Ben's  absence,  the  widow  Hadlock  put 
on  her  changeable  silk,  which  her  husband  bought 
in  foreign  parts,  and  her  best  cap,  and  taking  her 
knitting-work,  went  over  to  Captain  Rhines's. 
When  she  came  back,  she  reported  that  it  was  all 
right,  and  the  Rhineses  were  as  much  pleased  with 
the  match  as  she  was. 


88  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

BREAKING    GROUND    ON    ELM    ISLAND. 

MONDAY  morning  came,  find  in  the  little  cove, 
abreast  of  Captain  Rhines's  door,  lay  moored  a 
"gundelow,"  containing  some  hay,  an  ox  cart, 
plough,  scraper,  pot  and  tea-kettle,  and  provisions, 
raw  and  cooked.  Just  as  the  sun  rose,  Ben  came 
down  the  hill  with  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  an  axe  on 
his  shoulder  weighing  fourteen  pounds.  Joe  Grif 
fin  made  his  appearance  on  foot,  and  Isaac  Murch 
on  horseback,  with  his  wife  (who  had  come  to  take 
the  beast  back)  riding  behind  him  on  a  pillion.  It 
was  a  bright  October  morning;  the  fields  were 
white  with  frost,  which  was  just  beginning  to  melt 
as  the  sun  rose. 

"  Halloa  ! "  cried  Joe,  as  he  caught  sight  of  Ben's 
head  over  the  rising  ground;  " this  is  the  weather 
for  the  woods  ;  the  frost  puts  the  grit  in." 

Hannah  Murch,  saying  that  she  was  going  to  see 
Sally  Rhines,  that  is  to  be,  and  would  meet  them 
at  four  o'clock  Saturday  afternoon,  rode  off. 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON    ELM    ISLAND.  8^ 

They  put  up  a  boat's  sail  in  the  forward  part  of 
the  "gundelow,"  and,  as  the  wind  was  fair,  made 
good  progress.  Ben  steered,  while  the  others 
stretched  themselves  at  full  length  upon  the  hay. 

Joe  was  half  asleep,  when  he  felt  his  leg  grasped 
by  Ben,  who  motioned  him  to  crawl  to  him  as 
easily  as  possible. 

"  There's  a  flock  of  coots  to  leeward ;  steer  her 
right  down  on  them,  and  when  they  rise  I'll  give 
it  to  them." 

He  carefully  lifted  a  board,  under  which  lay  a 
gun,  with  an  old  flint  lock,  with  a  stocking  leg  over 
it  to  keep  off  the  damp  of  the  sea  and  the  mist  of 
the  morning.  Ben  crawled  forward  behind  the 
hay,  where  he  lay  with  his  finger  on  the  trigger. 
The  unsuspicious  fowl  kept  diving  and  chasing 
each  other  over  the  water :  at  length  they  seemed 
to  take  alarm,  and  began  to  huddle  together. 

"  They're  going  to  rise,  Ben,"  whispered  Joe. 

"  Well,  let  them  rise." 

Coots,  when  they  are  fat,  cannot  well  rise  from 
the  water,  except  against  the  wind.  As  they  rose 
and  flew  towards  the  "  gundelow,"  exposing  their 
most  vital  parts  to  a  shot,  five  fell  dead,  and  four 
wounded. 

"  There's  our  supper  to-night,  at  any  rate,"  said 


90  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

Ben  ;  "  and  were  we  in  anything  else  than  this  scow, 
I'd  have  those  wounded  ones." 

They  reached  the  island,  and  luffing  round  its 
eastern  point,  ran  the  "  gundelow  "  on  the  beach  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cove.  Joe,  making  a  Icaping-pole 
of  an  oar,  sprang  ashore.  "  Throw  us  a  rope,  and 
you  go  astern,  and  I'll  haul  her  in."  While  Joe 
pulled  on  the  rope,  Ben  stepping  overboard,  put  his 
little  shoulders  to  the  stern  of  the  "gundelow," 
and  shoved  her  so  high  up  on  the  beach  that  Isaac 
Murch  stepped  out  without  wetting  his  feet. 

"  I  say,  Ben,"  exclaimed  Joe,  "  suppose  you  take 
an  ox  under  each  arm,  and  bring  them  out.  I 
never  was  here  before,  but  if  this  ain't  just  the 
handsomest  place  I  ever  set  eyes  on.  Such  a  nice 
little  harbor  to  keep  a  craft ;  and  a  brook,  and  this 
little  green  spot  in  the  lee  of  the  woods ;  then  such 
a  master  growth  of  timber ;  there's  a  pine  that'll 
run  seventy  feet  without  a  limb.  I  say  it's  great, 
I  do." 

Let  us  glance  a  moment  at  the  character  and 
capacities  of  these  three  men,  as  they  stand  to 
gether  on  the  beach  of  this  little  gem  of  the  wild 
Atlantic  coast. 

They  represent  the  yeomanry  of  the  nation. 
They  are  of  the  old  stock;  not  technically  religious 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON    ELM    ISLAND.  91 

men,  and  yet  no  word  of  profanity,  or  disrespect  to 
religion,  finds  utterance  or  countenance  from  them. 
That  which,  in  their  estimation,  is  of  the  greatest 
importance,  is  to  have  something  which  they  have 
earned  with  their  own  hands.  Look  at  them,  ns 
they  stand  there  at  the  water's  edge,  and  know 
them.  Physically  considered,  they  are  noble  spe 
cimens  of  manly  vigor  and  power. 

What  would  some  of  the  effeminate  dandies  that 
throng  our  streets,  or  the  scions  of  nobility  in  the 
old  world,  be  good  for  on  that  wild  sea-beach  ? 
But  these  men  can  live  there,  and  cause  others  to 
live,  and  turn  the  wilderness  into  a  garden. 

Isaac  Murch  is  five  feet  eleven  inches  in  height, 
fifty-three  years  of  age,  without  a  gray  hair  on  his 
head,  of  powerful,  compact  frame,  with  a  world  of 
intelligence  and  kindness  in  his  face,  and  some 
thing  about  him  that,  without  the  least  assump 
tion,  caused  his  neighbors  to  respect  his  opinion, 
and  look  up  to  him  as  a  leader.  His  early  advan 
tages  for  learning  were  very  slight ;  but  since  he 
has  been  in  easy  circumstances,  he  has  improved 
strong  natural  capacities  by  reading  and  obser 
vation. 

Joe  Griffin  was  twenty-two  —  a  boy,  re  Isaac 
Murch  called  him ;  and  a  great  red-chteked,  corn- 


92  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

fed  boy  he  was,  too ;  six  feet  in  his  stockings,  and 
weighing  a  hundred  and  eighty  pounds;  loose- 
jointed,  big-boned,  thin  in  the  flanks,  not  long- 
legged,  but  getting  his  length  between  his  shoulders 
and  his  hips.  He  is  of  less  capacity,  and  more 
interested  in  physical  matters.  He  can  read  and 
write,  cipher  as  far  as  the  "rule  of  three,"  and  cast 
interest;  but  he  has  a  knack  of  handling  tools  that 
comes  by  nature.  As  the  neighbors  say,  he  has  an 
eye,  —  that  is,  he  can  judge  of  proportions,  and, 
with  his  great  clumsy  fingers,  do  anything  with 
wood  that  he  likes ;  but  his  great  ambition  is,  to 
go  ahead  and  do  the  work.  He's  smart,  and  knows 
it,  and  likes  to  have  other  people  know  it.  He 
don't  calculate  to  let  anybody  go  ahead  of  him 
with  a  scythe,  or  chop  into  the  side  of  a  tree,  or 
put  hay  on  to  a  cart,  quicker  than  himself.  Indeed 
there  were  very  few  that  could;  for  he  was  not 
only  strong,  but  tough,  and  possessed  infinite  tact, 
laying  out  his  strength  to  the  best  advantage. 

Let  us  consider  the  type  of  labor  presented  to 
us.  Here  are  three  live  Yankees,  in  whom  all  the 
shrewd,  inventive  genius  of  the  race  has  been  stim 
ulated  by  necessity,  —  all  of  them,  from  early  life, 
having  been  flung  upon  their  own  resources. 

They  are  helping  one  of  their  number  to  build  a 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON    ELM   ISLAND.  93 

house  for  himself  and  his  young  wife  to  live  in. 
One  of  them  has  already  passed  through  that  ex 
perience  of  life  which  their  employer  is  about  to 
enter.  The  other  expects  to,  for  he  also  intends 
to  be  married,  and  have  a  home  and  land  of  his 
own.  They  therefore  go  about  their  work  with 
interest  and  sympathy. 

How  different  are  these  men  from  what  is  gen 
erally  termed  help!  They  are  hired,  to  be  sure; 
but  the  sentiment  which  inspires  their  labor  is  en 
tirely  different  from  that  feeling  of  drudgery,  under 
the  influence  of  which  the  tenantry  of  Europe,  or 
even  the  Irish  servants  in  this  country,  perform 
their  work. 

Isaac  Murch  is  an  independent,  wealthy  farmer, 
—  a  mechanic  by  nature,  —  who  has  acquired  the 
property  he  holds  with  his  own  hands,  and  would 
scorn  to  be  a  hired  servant,  like  an  Irish  navvy ; 
but  for  accommodation,  he  will  hire  some  one  to 
get  in  his  own  harvest,  and  in  the  cold,  frosty 
nights,  when  he  might  be  comfortable  at  home  in 
the  blankets,  he  will  go  on  to  Elm  Island,  sweat 
and  work,  live  rough,  and  sleep  on  the  ground,  to 
build  a  house  for  his  neighbor ;  for  neighbor  meant 
something  in  those  days. 

As  for  Joe  Griffin,  he's  counting  every  dollar, 


94  LION   BEN    OF   ELM    ISLAND. 

and  looking  forward  to  the  day  when  he  shall  have 
a  home  of  his  own,  and  plough  his  own  acres,  and 
is  ambitious  to  earn  his  wages. 

How  superior  are  the  results  of  such  labor,  to 
that  of  the  man  who  has  no  ambition  of  ever  beinsr 

o 

anything  more  than  a  servant,  and  only  exercises 
his  ingenuity  in  getting  through  the  day,  and  shirk 
ing  all  the  work  he  can !  They  knew  that  Ben  had 
nothing  but  his  hands  to  help  himself  with,  and 
couldn't  afford  to  pay  them  for  watching  the  shad 
ows  ;  besides,  they  had  a  reputation  to  sustain,  of 
which  they  were  sufficiently  proud.  They  knew 
very  well  that  everybody  within  a  circle  of  ten 
miles  would  know  what  they  were  about  before 
night,  and  what  remarks  would  be  made  about 
them  at  the  blacksmith's  shop,  the  grist-mill,  and 
around  the  firesides. 

"  Well,  now,  if  there  ain't  a  team  —  Isaac  Mnrch, 
Ben  Rhines,  and  Joe  Griffin !  Pine  trees  '11  have 
to  take  it  now,  if  they've  got  Isaac  Murch  to  lay 
out  the  work,  and  Ben  and  Joe  to  back  him  up. 
Won't  they  have  a  good  time,  though,  seeing  which 
is  the  smartest  ?  " 

"Wai,  sartainly,"  exclaimed  old  Aunt  Molly 
Bradish,  "Joe  Griffin  has  met  his  match  for 
once ;  he  can't  do  anything  with  Ben  Rhines ; 


BKEAKING    GROUND    ON   ELM   ISLAND.  95 

he'd  pull  up  a  pine  tree  by  the  roots,  if  he  took  a 
notion." 

"  Joe  can't,  of  course,  take  hold  of  a  log  to  lift 
with  Ben,  nor  anybody  else  in  this  world,"  said 
Seth  Warren;  "but  I'll  bet  he'll  chop  into  the  side 
of  a  tree  as  quick;  he  strikes  so  true,  he  wouldn't 
miss  a  clip  once  in  a  fortnight.  I  saw  him  cut  a  pig 
of  lead  in  two,  down  at  the  mill ;  and  though  he 
struck  ten  times,  he  hit  so  true  that  you  could  see 
but  one  mark  of  the  axe." 

"Wai,"  replied  Aunt  Molly,  "there's  this  to  be 
said  of  Ben  Rhines,  that  is  not  to  be  said  of  every 
body  :  I  took  him  in  my  arms  when  he  was  born, 
and  have  lived  a  near  neighbor  to  him  from  that 
day  to  this,  and  I  never  knew  or  heard  of  his  using 
his  strength  to  harm  a  fellow-critter,  except  they 
desarved  it  most  outrageously.  I've  seen  little 
snipper-snappers  impose  upon  him,  and  all  the 
same  as  spit  in  his  face,  and  he  never  let  on  that 
he  heard  them.  Sally's  my  own  niece,  and  I  set  my 
eyes  by  her;  but  I  couldn't  wish  her  better  luck 
than  to  marry  Ben.  He's  helped  everybody;  I 
should  think  somebody  might  have  sprawl  enough 
to  get  up  a  'bee '  and  help  him." 

They  also  knew  that,  when  they  went  to  meet 
ing,  Sunday,  everybody  would  want  to  know  how 


96  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

much  they'd  done.  Added  to  this  was  the  pride  of 
emulation,  which  leads  men  of  any  pluck  to  exert 
themselves  in  the  presence  of  each  other.  This  is 
a  kind  of  labor  that  can  exist  nowhere  but  in  a 
free  country,  is  the  result  of  its  institutions,  from 
which  proceed  the  motives,  and  a  thousand  subtle 
influences  which  beget  it. 

The  island  well  merited  Joe's  encomium.  On 
the  eastern  side,  adjoining  the  brook,  was  a  large 
space,  having  a  slight  elevation,  covered  with  green 
grass,  extending  back  to  the  middle  ridge,  which, 
at  its  extremity,  terminated  in  a  perpendicular 
ledge,  which,  sloping  gradually  on  the  eastern 
side,  and  disappearing,  crossed  the  brook,  where  it 
again  came  to  the  surface,  forming  a  natural  dam, 
about  two  feet  in  height,  with  a  little  fissure  in  the 
middle,  worn  by  the  passage  of  the  water.  Over 
this  the  stream  fell  with  a  pleasant  murmur,  min 
gling  very  sweetly  with  the  deeper  tone  of  the 
breakers.  On  either  side  of  the  brook  were  two 
enormous  elm  trees,  united  by  a  great  root,  flat  on 
the  surface,  which  bridged  the  brook  a  very  little 
above  the  fall.  Under  this  root,  which  was  as  large 
as  a  man's  body,  the  water  had  a  free  passage,  ex 
cept  in  the  spring  and  autumn,  when  the  brook 
was  swollen  by  melting  snows  and  rains.  Then 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON    ELM    ISLAND.  97 

the  old  root  was  half  buried  in  water.  The  high 
tides  came  over  this  natural  dam ;  and  in  the  brack 
ish  water  were  great  quantities  of  smelts  and  frost 
fish  ;  and  eels  also  ran  up  through  the  fissure  in  the 
ledge.  The  summit  of  the  high  ledge  was  covered 
with  white  birches,  the  great  forked  roots,  rough 
and  black  with  whorls  and  blisters,  running  along 
the  very  edge  of  the  rocks,  while  their  limbs, 
stretching  themselves  towards  the  sun,  fell  in  great 
masses  over  its  edge. 

They  are  very  much  mistaken  who  suppose  that 
no  one  can  appreciate  natural  beauty,  or  hold  com 
munion  with  the  beautiful  forms  of  nature,  and 
grow  by  it,  who  has  not  graduated  at  a  university 
and  read  Homer. 

Joe  Griffin  appreciated  the  beauty  of  this  spot, 
and  felt  it  to  his  heart's  core ;  and  so  did  big  Ben, 
though  they  could  not  express  it  in  artistic  lan 
guage. 

Ben,  in  consultation  with  uncle  Isaac,  had  de 
termined  to  hew  his  logs  for  their  whole  length 
only  on  two  sides,  which,  as  it  was  late  in  the  year, 
and  they  were  pressed  for  time,  wrould  save  much 
labor ;  but  at  the  ends,  and  where  the  doors  and 
windows  were  to  be,  to  hew  them  to  a  "proud 
edge."  This  would  give  good  joints  at  the  ends, 
7 


98  LION    BEN    OP    ELM   ISLAND. 

and  make  the  house  as  tight  as  though  it  was  all 
square  timber. 

"  Where  are  you  going  to  set  your  house  ?  "  in* 
quired  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  Here,"  said  Ben,  walking  up  to  the  slope  above 
some  elms  that  grew  close  together,  and  sticking 
down  a  crowbar ;  "  I  want  my  house  under  the  lee 
of  the  woo.ds  and  the  hill,  and  my  garden  under 
that  warm  ledge." 

"  How  large  will  you  have  it  on  the  ground  ?  " 

"  Thirty-six  by  thirty-nine." 

"  Jerusalem ! "  exclaimed  Joe ;  "  that's  a  big  house 
for  two  people,  and  a  little  yellow  dog  with  white 
on  the  end  of  his  tail,  to  live  in ;  hope  you  won't 
be  crowded." 

"  Log  houses,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  last  some  time ; 
perhaps  he  thinks  there'll  be  more  of  them  before 
it  rots  down." 

"At  first,"  said  Ben,  "and  perhaps  for  some 
years,  it'll  have  to  be  house,  barn,  corn-house,  work 
shop,  and  everything." 

"  You'll  have  your  cellar  under  half  of  it ;  how 
high  will  you  have  it  ?  " 

"  I  never  have  thought  anything  about  that." 

"  Well,  I'd  drop  the  beams  down,  and  have  it  a 
story  and  a  half;  that  great  chamber  '11  be  the  best 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON   ELM   ISLAND.  99 

part  of  the  house  ;  'twill  make  you  a  splendid  corn- 
house  ;  that's  the  way  your  grandfather's  was,  and 
many  a  bushel  of  corn  I've  shelled  in  it.  If  I'm 
boss,  as  you,  Ben,  are  strong  enough  to  hold  the 
scraper  alone,  you  and  Joe  can  take  the  plough, 
and  go  tp  ploughing  and  scraping  out  the  cellar, 
and  I'll  go  to  the  woods  and  pick  out  and  cut  the 
trees." 

"  The  sun  is  getting  low,"  said  Ben  ;  "  it  is  time 
we  were  making  calculations  for  sleeping  to-night, 
whether  in  the  '  gundelow,'  with  a  sail  over  us,  or 
in  a  bush  camp." 

"  I  go  in  for  the  bush  camp,"  said  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  And  I'm  the  boy  to  build  it,"  said  Joe ;  "  takes 
me  to  do  that." 

"Go  ahead,  Joe,  and  build  it,  and  we'll  get  the 
wood  for  the  fire." 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  Joe  went  into 
the  edge  of  a  little  clump  of  bushes,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  cut  out  a  space  about  twelve  feet  square, 
leaving  an  opening  between  two  trees,  where  he 
went  in,  of  about  three  feet.  As  fast  as  he  cut  the 
trees,  he  thrust  them  back,  and  jammed  them  in 
among  the  others,  making  a  thick  wall ;  he  then 
wove  two  or  three  small  trees  in  on  the  side  to 
keep  them  from  falling  in.  lie  then  cut  three  or 


100  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

four  small  beech  limbs,  twisted  them  into  withes, 
bent  down  the  tops  of  three  or  four  trees  on  the 
sides,  tied  them  together  with  the  withes,  thus 
forming  the  roof;  then  getting  the  boat's  sail, 
threw  it  over  the  top,  and  a  little  brush  over  that, 
to  break  the  force  of  the  rain.  He  then  strewed 
some  hemlock  brush  on  the  floor  to  sleep  on. 

"  I'll  risk  any  rain-storm  driving  us  out  of  that," 
said  Joe,  contemplating  his  edifice  with  great  satis 
faction. 

"  I  must  have  a  door,"  said  Joe,  "  or  these  plaguy 
oxen  and  sheep  '11  be  in  there  when  we  ain't,  and 
bother  us." 

You  may  think  this  a  difficult  matter,  but  Joe 
never  wasted  a  thought  on't.  He  took  three  spruce 
poles,  as  long  as  the  height  of  the  opening,  drove 
them  into  the  ground,  and  wattled  them  with  birch 
limbs ;  he  then  fastened  a  pole  across  each  end,  and 
one  in  the  middle,  leaving  the  middle  one  protrud 
ing  about  four  inches  on  the  right  side  ;  that  was  a 
latch.  He  now  took  a  little  hemlock,  peeled  the 
bark  off,  and  drove  it  into  the  ground  on  the  left 
side ;  this  was  the  door-post.  He  made  hinges  of 
withes,  which  slipped  easily  round  the  smooth  pole. 
On  the  right  hand  tree  grew  a  limb,  slanting  up 
wards  ;  this  he  cut  off  about  three  inches  from  the 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON   ELM   ISLAND.          101 

tree;  then  lifting  the  door,  he  threw  it  into  the 
angle,  and  it  was  shut  and  latched. 

He  drove  two  crotch -poles  into  the  ground,  just 
before  the  door,  and  put  another  across ;  he  then 
cut  a  limb  with  a  side  branch  growing  out  of  it, 
and  hooked  it  over  the  pole  ;  cut  a  deep  notch  in 
the  lower  end  of  it,  to  receive  the  bail  of  the  pot, 
and  hung  it  on. 

Uncle  Isaac  and  Ben  now  came  with  a  whole 
cart  full  of  dry  wood,  which  they  had  picked  up, 
and  a  fire  was  kindled.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
flavor  of  the  coot  stew  saluted  their  nostrils. 

"  O,  that  smells  good,"  said  Joe ;  "  I'm  savage 
hungry."  Seizing  his  axe,  he  cut  some  great  chips 
out  of  the  side  of  a  tree,  which  he  hollowed  out, 
and  giving  one  to  each,  said,  "  There's  the  plates ; 
they  don't  need  any  washing ;  you  can  shie  them 
into  the  fire  when  you're  done ;  there's  enough 
more  where  they  come  from." 

The  stew  was  now  taken  from  the  fire,  and  these 
hardy  men,  who  had  shown  so  much  capacity  for 
labor  during  the  day,  manifested  no  less  for  eating. 
"When  the  solid  contents  of  the  stew  had  disap 
peared,  Joe  exclaimed,  "  I  think  it's  too  bad  to  lose 
all  this  good  gravy  in  the  pot."  He  went  to  the 
beach  and  got  three  clam-shells ;  these  they  stuck 


102  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

in  the  end  of  split  sticks,  and  soon  despatched  the 
contents  of  the  pot. 

"  Well,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  as  they  stretched  them 
selves  around  the  blazing  fire,  "  we've  got  on  here, 
made  a  beginning,  and  got  to  housekeeping ;  and 
that  will  do  pretty  well  for  one  day.  We  couldn't 
expect  to  make  much  show  to-day ;  but  to-morrow 
we  shall  get  to  work  betimes,  and  bring  more  to 
pass." 

"  I'm  sorry  I  forgot  to  bring  a  drag,"  said  Ben  ; 
"we've  nothing  to  haul  the  rocks  on." 

"  That's  a  thing  we  must  have,"  said  Uncle  Isaac ; 
"  I'll  make  one  right  ofif." 

"  You  can't  make  it  to-night,"  said  Ben. 

"  The  dogs  I  can't.  Joe,  cut  that  little  red  oak  ; 
you  can  do  it  in  three  minutes.  Make  a  blaze,  Ben, 
to  see  to  work  by ;  then  run  to  the  '  gundelow,'  and 
bring  up  that  plank  I  saw  there." 

By  the  time  Ben  returned  with  the  plank  the 
tree  was  down. 

"  Now,  Joe,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  you  can  take  one 
side  of  the  tree,  and  I  will  the  other,  and  see  if 
you  can  keep  up  with  your  grandfather.  You,  Ben, 
may  saw  up  that  plank  into  pieces  three  feet  long, 
and  make  some  wooden  pins." 

By  nine  o'clock  the  drag  was  made. 


BREAKING    GROUND    ON   ELM    ISLAND  103 

"There,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "that  hasn't  killed 
anybody ;  'twould  have  been  an  awful  waste  to  have 
taken  good  daylight  for  that.  I'm  not  sure  but 
'twould  have  been  a  sin ;  and  we've  plenty  of  time 
left  to  sleep." 

Thursday  was  occupied  in  framing  together  the 
sills,  and  laying  the  lower  floor,  in  order  that  they 
might  have  it  to  stand  on  while  rolling  up  the 
logs.  It  was  left  rough,  because  Uncle  Isaac  said  it 
would  wear  smoother  than  if  'twas  planed. 

"  I  hope,"  said  Joe,  "  it  won't  be  like  old  Uncle 
Yelf's  floor.  He  had  a  floor  of  hemlock  boards, 
rough  from  the  saw ;  they  had  a  heap  of  grand 
children,  every  one  of  them  barefoot.  Go  in  there 
when  you  would,  for  a  fortnight,  there'd  be  old 
granny  with  her  darning-needle,  and  a  great  young 
one's  foot  up  in  her  lap,  a-picking  out  the  splinters, 
while  the  young  one,  with  both  hands  on  the  floor, 
was  screaming  bloody  murder.  By  the  time  she'd 
picked  the  splinters  out  of  his  feet,  there'd  be  as 
many  more  in  his  hands." 

Saturday  forenoon  was  spent  in  hauling  logs,  and 
rolling  them  up  on  skids,  preparatory  to  hewing. 

Just  as  they  had  finished  dinner,  Joe  suddenly 
cried,  "  What's  that  in  that  bushy  spruce  on  the 
edge  of  the  bank  ?  " 


104  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"  I  don't  see  anything,"  said  Ben. 

"  N"or  I,  now ;  but  I  know  there  was  something 
there,  and  I  believe  it's  there  now." 

"  Perhaps  it's  a  coon,"  said  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  A  coon  ?  How  could  a  coon  get  on  to  this 
island?" 

"  How  could  he  get  here  ?  How  could  the  squir 
rels  and  woodchucks  get  here  ?  God  Almighty 
put  'em  here." 

Going  to  the  tree,  Joe  peered  a  long  time  among 
the  branches  ;  at  length  he  exclaimed,  "  Plere  he  is : 
get  your  gun,  Ben  !  " 

"  I  shot  away  the  last  powder  I  had  to  kindle 
fire  this  morning ;  but  we'll  stone  him  down." 

They  pelted  him  with  stones  in  vain,  the  thick 
limbs  causing  them  all  to  glance. 

"  Climb  up  and  get  him,  Joe." 

"  Climb  up  yourself,  Ben  ;  they  say  their  bite's 
rank  '  pizen.' " 

"I'll  have  that  coon,"  said  Ben,  "if  it  takes  all 
day.  Cut  the  tree  down,  Joe." 

As  it  fell,  the  coon  leaped  from  it ;  and  though 
the  stones  fell  thick  and  fast  around  him,  he  ran  up 
the  bank  and  under  the  logs.  Then  began  a  most 
exciting  race,  the  men  rolling  the  logs  here  and 
there,  and  striking  at  him  between  them,  till  finally 


BREAKING   GROUND    ON    ELM    ISLAND.  105 

he  hfoke  cover,  and  ran  for  the  woods,  with  the 
whole  scout  at  his  heels.  Ben  overtook  him  just 
as  he  was  running  up  a  tree,  and,  catching  him  by 
the  tail,  flung  him  over  his  head :  he  landed  on 
Joe's  back,  who,  having  a  mortal  terror  of  the  bite 
of  a  coon,  roared  with  agony ;  but  the  creature,  too 
frightened  to  bite,  rolled  off  his  back  to  the  ground, 
and  passing  Uncle  Isaac,  who  was  so  full  of  tickle 
that  he  could  not  lift  a  finger  to  stop  him,  ran  un 
der  the  timber  again.  As  he  was  now  too  far  gone 
to  try  another  race  for  the  woods,  he  hid  under  a 
log,  one  end  of  which  lay  upon  a  block,  and  the 
other  on  the  ground. 

Ben  saw  his  eyes  shine,  and  kicked  the  log  off 
the  block ;  as  the  coon  attempted  to  run  out,  it  fell 
on  his  tail  and  held  him  fast.  There  he  sat,  cap 
tive  but  undismayed,  showing  his  white  teeth,  and 
frothing  at  his  mouth  with  pain  and  rage. 

"  How  are  you,  coonie  ?  "  said  Joe,  taking  off  his 
hat  and  making  a  low  bow ;  "  by  the  chances  of 
war  you  are  now  our  prisoner ;  we  are  cannibals, 
of  the  cannibal  tribe,  and  eat  all  our  captives ;  you 
must  die  for  the  good  of  the  tribe ; "  and  thus  say 
ing  he  knocked  him  on  the  head. 

"  I'll  get  mother  to  bake  him  to-night,"  said  Ben ; 
"  come  over  to-morrow,  Joe,  and  help  eat  him." 


106  LION   BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

"  Boys,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  don't  you  think  we 
look  well  skylarking  at  this  rate  ?  and  to-day  is  Sat 
urday,  too ;  now  we  must  put  in  hard  enough  to 
make  up  for  it." 

They  labored  till  dark,  as  if  their  lives  depended 
on  it. 

"I  thought  you  were  going  to  leave  off  earlier 
Saturday  night,"  said  Hannah  Murch,  as  she  met 
them  at  the  landing.  "I've  been  waiting  here 
more  'n  two  hours  in  the  cold.  I  was  afraid  some 
accident  had  befallen  you." 

Ben  held  up  the  raccoon. 

"  I  see  how  it  is ;  you've  been  cooning,  and  had 
to  work  later  to  make  it  up.  Isaac,  I  do  wish  you 
would  ever  leave  off  being  a  boy." 

"  Well,  you're  the  first  woman  I  ever  heard  of 
that  wanted  her  husband  to  grow  old." 


TOO  GOOD  A  CHANCE  TO  LOSE.       107 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TOO    GOOD    A   CHANCE    TO   LOSE. 

BEN  persuaded  Joe  Griffin  to  go  home  with  him, 
stay  all  night,  and  help  eat  the  coon.  Though  one 
of  the  most  kind-hearted  creatures  that  ever  lived, 
Joe's  proclivity  for  practical  jokes  was  both  in 
stinctive  and  inveterate.  If  the  choice  lay  between 
making  a  mortal  enemy  for  life  and  a  good  joke,  he 
could  not  prevail  upon  himself  to  forego  the  joke. 
He  was  very  shrewd  withal,  and  would  extricate 
himself  from  difficulties,  and  accomplish  his  ends 
by  pleasantry,  where  others  would  be  compelled  to 
fight  their  way  out,  or  miss  of  their  object. 

One  autumn,  the  blacksmith,  having  great  quan 
tities  of  axes  to  make  for  the  loggers,  hired  Joe  a 
couple  of  months,  as  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
striking  with  the  sledge,  and  his  apprentice  was 
young  and  light.  The  smith  was  a  very  driving 
man,  but  kept  his  men  well,  and  was  very  hospita 
ble.  He  was  obliged  to  be  absent  occasionally  to 
deliver  his  axes.  At  such  times  his  wife,  who  was 


108  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

penurious  in  the  extreme,  kept  the  boys  very  short. 
Joe,  knowing  that  his  master  did  not  approve  of 
this,  resolved  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  They  worked 
evenings.  One  night  the  smith  came  home  full  of 
grit,  as  he  had  been  riding  and  resting,  and  pre 
pared  to  forge  an  axe.  Placing  a  hot  iron  on  the 
anvil,  he  cried,  "  Strike,  Joe,  strike."  Joe  struck  a 
few  feeble  blows,  when  exclaiming,  "  It's  going !  it's 
going!  it's  all  gone!"  dropped  his  sledge  on  the 
floor,  and  seemed  ready  to  faint  away. 

"  What's  gone  ? "  cried  the  smith,  in  a  rage  at 
having  lost  his  heat. 

"  That  water  porridge  we  had  for  supper." 
The  master  then  took  them  to  the  house,  and" 
gave  them  a  hearty  meal. 

Once  more  the  iron  was  laid  upon  the  anvil; 

Joe  struck  tremendous  blows,  making  the  sparks 

fly  all  over  the   shop,  crying,   "It's  coming!    it's 

coming  !  it  gives  me  strength  !  I  feel  it !  I  feel  it ! " 

"  What's  coming,  and  what  do  you  feel  ?  " 

"  That  good  beefsteak  I  had  for  supper." 

Joe  could  talk  like  anybody  under  heaven,  and 

look  like  them  too.     He  could  talk  more  like  Uncle 

Sam  Yelf  than  Uncle  Sam  could  himself.     This 

gift,  however,  he  used  very  sparingly,  for  he  could 

take  a  joke  as  well  as  give  one ;  felt  that  'twas 


TOO  GOOD  A  CHANCE  TO  LOSE.       109 

mean  to  turn  the  peculiarities  of  others  into  ridi 
cule,  and  in  a  way  in  which  they  could  not  re 
taliate. 

Yelf  had  a  sort  of  hitch  in  his  voice,  which  was 
very  ludicrous,  but,  like  many  people  who  have  an 
impediment,  could  sing  distinctly  and  shout  tre 
mendously  ;  he  was  also  very  hot  in  his  temper. 
Sometimes,  when  they  met  at  the  store,  Joe  would 
begin  to  talk  with  him,  and  just  like  him. 

The  old  man  would  fly  in  a  passion  in  a  moment, 
begin  to  sputter,  and  Joe  would  "take  him  off," 
while  no  human  being  could  help  laughing.  It  was 
fine  sport  for  the  young  folks,  and  the  more  so  on 
account  of  its  rarity,  as  it  was  but  seldom  that 
Joe  could  be  persuaded  to  do  it,  and  was  sure  to 
give  the  old  man  some  tobacco  soon  after.  He 
could  also  imitate  the  cry  of  any  beast,  wild  or 
tame,  to  perfection,  from  a  moose  to  a  muskrat ; 
and  of  birds,  except  the  squawk ;  Joe  said  the 
squawks  were  too  many  for  him. 

This  power  was  of  great  value  to  him  in  hunt 
ing.  He  could  call  a  moose  or  muskrat  within 
range,  by  imitating  the  notes  of  either. 

In  the  evening  Ben  went  over  to  the  widow 
Hadlock's.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  making  a 
bootjack  of  the  crane ;  standing  on  one  leg,  and 


110  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

steadying  himself  by  the  mantel-piece,  he  put  the 
other  foot  into  the  crotch  of  the  crane,  and  pulled 
off  his  boot.  Joe  had  often  seen  him  do  this,  and 
laid  his  plans  accordingly.  After  the  family  were 
all  asleep,  Joe  got  up,  and  with  a  crowbar  pulled 
out  the  dogs  that  held  the  crane,  and  then  put 
them  back  again  in  such  a  manner  that  the  least 
touch  would  loosen  them,  and  bring  crane  and 
all  on  to  the  floor.  He  then  took  a  cow-bell 
from  a  cow's  neck  in  the  barnyard,  and  putting 
some  stones  in  an  old  tin  pail,  hung  them  and  a 
bottle  of  sour  milk  on  the  crane,  and  went  back 
to  bed. 

About  twelve  o'clock  Ben  came.  He  felt  round 
for  a  candle,  expecting  to  find  it  where  his  mother 
usually  left  it  —  on  the  mantel-piece  ;  but  Joe  had 
taken  very  good  care  to  remove  both  candle  and 
matches ;  so,  feeling  for  the  crane,  he  clapped  in  his 
foot  and  pulled ;  down  came  the  crane  on  to  the 
floor.  Ben  went  over  backwards,  full  length  on 
the  floor,  with  a  force  that  shook  the  whole  house 
from  garret  to  cellar ;  the  cow-bell  and  tin  pail 
rattled  ;  the  sour  milk  ran  all  over  Ben  ;  his  mother 
awaked  from  a  sound  sleep,  and  screamed  murder ; 
and  old  Captain  Rhines  came  rushing  out  in  his 
night-shirt,  with  a  pistol  in  each  hand,  blazed  away 


TOO  GOOD  A  CHANCE  TO  LOSE.       Ill 

at  the  sound,  putting  one  bullet  through  the  win 
dow,  and  the  other  into  a  milk-pan  of  eggs, 
which  stood  upon  the  dressers,  while  the  children, 
roused  by  the  frantic  screams  of  the  mother  and 
the  pistol  shots,  came  shrieking  from  their  beds. 

"Don't  shoot  anymore,  father,"  cried  Ben;  "it's 
me." 

"  My  God  ! "  exclaimed  Captain  Rhines,  feeling 
the  milk,  which,  by  hanging  over  the  fire,  had  be 
come  warm,  as  it  touched  his  bare  feet,  and  mis 
taking  it  for  blood  ;  "  have  I  shot  my  own  son  ?  " 

"No,  father,"  said  Ben;  "it's  some  of  that 
confounded  Joe  Griffin's  work.  I'll  fix  him."  He 
ran  up  stairs  to  take  summary  vengeance.  In  this 
he  was  disappointed,  for  the  moment  Joe  heard  the 
crash,  he  slid  down  on  a  pole,  which  he  had  previ 
ously  placed  at  the  window,  and  ran  home. 

We  must  remember  that  Ben  had  been  court 
ing  ;  had  on  his  best  broadcloth,  purchased  on  the 
last  voyage,  and  in  which  he  was  to  be  married. 

Broadcloth  suits  in  those  days  were  limited  to  a 
very  few.  The  minister  had  a  coat  and  breeches 
for  Sabbath ;  so  of  a  few  of  the  seafaring  people  and 
their  families ;  but  the  clothing  of  the  people  in 
general  was  both  manufactured  and  made  up  at 
home,  there  being  no  such  thing  as  a  tailor. 


112  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

Here,  then,  was  Ben's  best  suit,  made  in  Liver 
pool  by  a  professional  tailor,  soaked  with  sour  milk, 
and  covered  with  ashes ;  his  light  buff  waistcoat 
all  over  smut,  from  the  pot,  crane,  hooks,  and  tram 
mels,  that  fell  over  him.  Thus,  though  Ben's  tem 
per  was  not  easily  roused,  and  soon  subsided,  he 
was  now  thoroughly  mad,  and,  had  he  caught  Joe, 
Would  probably  have  crippled  him  for  life.  Per 
haps  some  such  thought  crossed  his  mind,  as  he 
said  to  his  father  on  coming  down,  "  He's  gone,  and 
I'm  glad  of  it ;  but  I'll  be  even  with  him  before 
snow  flies." 

Aunt  Molly  Bradish's  declaration  that  Ben 
Hhines  had  helped  everybody  that  needed  help, 
and  that  she  should  think  somebody  might  give 
him  a  lift,  was  not  lost.  Seth  Warren  happened 
to  be  in  there,  and  heard  the  old  lady's  remarks. 
Seth  was  a  kind-hearted,  jovial  fellow,  who  had 
been  many  a  time  with  Ben  on  his  errands  of 
mercy,  and  loved  any  kind  doings.  He  went  di 
rectly  to  the  store,  where,  as  he  expected,  he  found, 
as  it  was  Saturday  night,  a  good  portion  of  the 
young  men  of  the  place  assembled.  He  took  them 
aside,  and  said,  "You  know  what  a  good  fellow 
Ben  Rhines  is  ;  how  he  has  always  been  getting  up 
4  bees '  to  help  everybody  that  was  behindhand : 


TOO  GOOD  A  CHANCE  TO  LOSE.       113 

now,  what  say  for  going  on  to  the  island  next 
week,  the  whole  crew  of  us,  and  giving  him  a  lift 
with  his  house  ?  " 

Seth's  proposition  was  received  with  acclama 
tions.  "  Now,  boys,"  he  continued,  "  you  know 
how  such  tilings  always  leak  out,  and  that  spoils 
the  whole.  Now,  don't  say  a  word  about  it  to 
neither  sister,  mother,  or  sweetheart,  till  they  have 
gone  back  to  the  island  Monday  morning,  and  then 
we  can  talk  as  much  as  we  please,  and  they  cannot 
possibly  get  wind  of  it." 

This  was  solemnly  assented  to. 

"  I,"  said  Seth,  "  will  go  over  and  sleep  with  Joe 
Griffin  Sunday  night,  and,  without  letting  him  sus 
pect  anything,  find  out  how  far  they've  got  along 
with  their  work,  that  we  may  know  when  our  help 
will  be  most  needed."  This  he  did,  when  Joe 
told  him  what  he  did  the  night  before  at  Captain 
Rhines's. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  Ben  '11  do  to  you  ?  He'll 
murder  you  after  he  gets  you  on  to  the  island.  I 
shouldn't  want  to  be  in  your  shoes." 

"  Poh !  he  won't,  neither ;  he's  like  a  bottle  of 

beer,  soon  up   and  soon  over.     I  think  it  is  like 

enough  he'll  throw  me  overboard ;    if  he  does,  I 

don't  care ;  I'd  be  willing  to  be  ducked  twenty 

8 


114  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

times  for  the  sake  of  the  fun  I  had  that  night,  and 
for  the  better  fun  I  shall  have  thinking  about  it 
and  telling  of  it." 

The  next  morning  Seth  accompanied  Joe  to  the 
shore  ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  gundelovv  fairly  off, 
than  getting  on  the  horse  with  Hannah  Murch, 
who  had  come  to  bring  her  husband,  he  let  out  the 
whole  matter  to  her.  Hannah,  by  no  means  back 
ward  in  the  good  work,  told  everybody  she  met  on 
the  road,  and  went  to  the  school-house  and  told  the 
mistress. 

The  result  of  this  was,  that  thirty-five  young  men 
agreed  to  go,  —  among  whom  were  ten  ship-carpen 
ters  from  Massachusetts,  who  were  tbere  cutting 
ship  timber,  with  their  master  workman,  Ephraim 
Hunt ;  also,  Sam  Atkins,  from  Newburyport,  who 
was  at  home  on  a  visit. 

The  girls,  under  the  direction  of  Hannah  Murch, 
were  to  cook  and  furnish  the  provisions,  while 
John  Strout  engaged  to  set  them  on  in  his  fishing 
schooner,  the  Perseverance,  an  Essex  pink-stern, 
of  sixty  tons. 


THE    SURPRISE    PARTYT.  115 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    SURPRISE    PARTY. 

WEDNESDAY  morning  the  axes  were  flying  mer 
rily,  as  Ben  and  his  crew  were  busy  at  their  timber, 
when  they  were  startled  by  a  tremendous  cheer, 
and,  to  their  utter  amazement,  beheld  thirty-five 
men,  in  military  order,  emerging  from  the  woods, 
led  on  by  Seth  Warren,  with  a  three-cornered 
cap,  in  which  were  the  tail  feathers  of  a  turkey, 
with  a  skein  of  yarn  for  a  sash,  and  shouldering 
an  adze.  Each  man  was  armed,  —  some  with 
broad-axes,  others  narrow-axes,  saws,  augers,  and 
other  tools. 

When  Seth  had  marched  Ids  men  up  in  front  of 
the  cellar,  he  commanded  them  to  stand  at  ease. 
.  It  is  impossible  adequately  to  describe  the  amaze 
ment  of  the  party  on  the  island.  Joe  stood  leaning 
on  his  axe,  with  his  mouth  wide  open  ;  Uncle  Isaac 
held  his  hat  before  him  with  both  hands,  as  if  for  a 
shield;  while  Ben,  who  had,  under  the  first  im 
pulse,  started  forward  to  meet  Seth,  unable  to  get 


116  LION    BEN    OF   ELM    ISLAND. 

any  farther,  stood  with  both  hands  in  his  pockets, 
the  picture  of  astonishment  and  doubt. 

"  Now,  Ben,"  exclaimed  Seth,  with  a  magnificent 
flourish  of  his  hand,  and  very  much  at  his  ease, 
while  his  eyes  were  dancing  in  his  head  with  sup 
pressed  glee,  as  he  noticed  the  completeness  of  the 
surprise,  "  did  you  suppose  there  were  never  to  be 
any  more  'bees,'  and  that  folks  wan't  going  to  help 
each  other  any  more,  because  you  are  going  to  be 
married,  and  have  got  through  with  it  ?  I  tell  you, 
you've  learnt  us  the  trade,  and  we've  come  to  prac 
tise,  and  help  the  fellow  that  has  set  us  so  good  an 
example  —  ain't  we,  boys  ?  " 

Seth's  speech  was  received  with  a  cheer.  Poor 
Ben,  feeling  that  he  must  say  something,  and  not 
knowing  what  to  say,  presented  a  most  ludicrous 
picture.  His  great  body  swayed  to  and  fro ;  he 
stood  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other,  to 
the  great  delight  of  his  friends,  who  were  in  high 
glee  at  this  evidence  of  the  thoroughness  of  the 
surprise. 

At  length  the  great  creature,  who  would  have 
faced  a  battery  without  winking,  blurted  out, 
"  Neighbors,  I  —  'm  —  sure,  I  don't  know  what  I've 
done  to  deserve  all  this  kindness,"  and  burst  into 
tears. 


THE    SURPRISE    PARTY.  117 

"  Don't  know  what  you've  done  ?  "  replied  Seth, 
anxious  to  cover  Ben's  confusion ;  "I  should  like  to 
know  what  you  haven't  done.  Who  raised  a  scout, 
and  built  Uncle  Joe  Elwell  a  barn,  after  his'n  was 
struck  by  lightning  ?  " 

"  Who,"  said  John  Lapham,  "  got  in  the  widow 
Perry's  harvest,  and  cut  all  her  winter's  wood,  after 
her  husband  was  killed  stoning  a  well  ?  " 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  John  Strotit,  the  skipper  of 
the  Perseverance,  "who  was  it  took  care  of  mo 
when  I  had  the  smallpox  in  Jacmel,  and  everybody 
else,  even  my  own  relation,  run  away  from  me  ?  " 

"  Well,"  replied  Ben,  whose  modesty  revolted  at 
such  a  display  of  his  virtues,  "I  didn't  jo  any  more 
than  my  duty."/ 

"That's  just  what  we're  going  to  do,"  replied 
Seth. 

"And  that's  where  you're  right,"  said  Uncle 
Isaac,  putting  on  his  hat.  "  Come  on,  boys ;  if 
you're  so  anxious  to  work,  I'll  give  you  enough  of 
it  to  start  the  grease  out  of  you." 

"Let  you  alone  for  that,  uncle,"  said  a  voice 
from  the  crowd. 

"  Who's  that  ?  As  I'm  alive  it's  my  nephew, 
Sam  Atkins.  Where  did  you  drop  from,  Sam  ?  " 

"  Why,  you   see,   uncle,   we   were   waiting  for 


118  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

timber  at  Newburyport,  that  is  to  come  in  a  vessel ; 
and  as  Jacob  Col  cord  was  coming  down  in  his 
schooner,  I  thought  it  would  be  a  good  time  to 
make  a  visit  home." 

"  You  couldn't  have  done  a  better  thing ;  you're 
just  the  boy  I  want.  Now,  Master  Hunt,  if  you'll 
be  good  enough  to  line  these  timbers  for  these  boys 
to  hew,  I'll  be  doing  something  else." 

Sam  Atkins,  who  was  well  assured  his  uncle 
would  not  overlook  his  capabilities,  sat  on  a  log 
whittling.  After  he  had  set  all  the  rest  to  work, 
Uncle  Isaac  came  to  him,  and  laying  his  hand  upon 
his  shoulder,  said,  "  Sam,  I've  got  a  nice  job  for 
you ;  I  want  you  to  frame  the  roof;  you'll  find 
tools  in  my  tool-chest.  There  are  the  rafters,  and 
they  will  have  the  ridge-pole  and  purlins  hewed  by 
the  time  you  will  want  them." 

As  soon  as  a  good  number  of  sticks  were  hewed, 
they  began  to  roll  them  up,  while  Uncle  Isaac,  Joe 
Griffin,  and  two  of  the  ship  carpenters,  cut  the 
dovetails.  By  twelve  o'clock  they  had  the '.timber 
for  the  walls  hewed,  and  the  walls  raised  to  the 
chamber,  and  the  beams  and  sleepers  for  the  cham 
ber  floor  hewed,  and  Sam  and  his  crew  had  the 
roof  framed. 

In  order  to  make  the  surprise  to  Ben  complete, 


THE    SURPRISE    PARTY.  119 

they  had  anchored  the  schooner  behind  the  woods, 
on  the  north-east  end  of  the  island ;  but  they  now 
brought  her  round,  and  anchored  her  in  the  cove, 
and  brought  ashore  their  provisions — jugs  of  coffee 
all  made,  with  the  sweetening  boiled  in ;  cheese 
and  doughnuts,  bread  and  butter,  beef,  pork,  and 
lamb,  all  cooked,  which  the  girls  had  provided ;  and 
a  good  deal  more  raw,  which  they  meant  to  have 
the  fun  of  cooking  themselves. 

They  laid  some  boards  on  logs,  and  thus  made 
their  tables. 

After  dinner,  they  lay  on  the  grass  and  talked 
and  laughed,  while  the  older  ones  smoked,  and  had 
a  jolly  good  time. 

At  length  Uncle  Isaac  said,  putting  his  pipe  in 
his  waistcoat  pocket,  "  Boys,  do  you  calculate  on 
having  a  frolic  in  the  house  to-night?" 

"  Yes,  we  do,"  replied  a  score  of  voices. 

"  Then  it's  high  time  you  were  laying  the  cham 
ber  floor." 

"  You  old  drive,"  said  Joe,  speaking  thick,  with 
the  ribs  of  a  sheep  between  his  teeth,  "  didn't  you 
know  old  Captain  Hurry  is  dead  ?  cast  away,  going 
down  to  Make  Haste  ?  Can't  you  give  a  feller  time 
to  eat  ?  That's  been  the  way  ever  since  I've  been 
here,  boys.  I'm  getting  quite  thin." 


120  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

"He  don't  show  it  much,"  said  Uncle  Isaac, 
pointing  to  Joe's  fat  cheeks  ;  "he  has  had  an  hour 
and  a  half,  and  eaten  almost  a  whole  sheep." 

As  nothing  was  planed  except  the  edges  of 
the  floor  boards,  and  what  was  absolutely  neces 
sary  to  make  the  joints,  the  work  went  on 
"  smoking." 

"Ah,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  stopping  to  draw  a  long 
breath,  while  the  sweat  dropped  from  the  end  of 
his  nose  on  to  the  axe  handle,  "  that's  the  time  of 
day,  my  bullies ;  all  strings  are  drawing  now." 

In  a  short  time  Joe  sung  out  that  the  floor 
beams  were  all  laid,  cross  sleepers  in,  and  they 
wanted  something  to  do  to  keep  them  from  freezing. 

"  Well,  lay  the  rough  floor,  and  be  quick  about 
it ;  the  boards  are  all  jointed,  and  we  shall  be  at 
your  heels  with  the  upper  one." 

By  the  time  Joe  and  his  crew  had  laid  half  of 
the  loose  floor,  the  ship  carpenters  began  to  lay 
the  other  one  over  it,  and  they  finished  nearly  at 
the  same  time. 

There  were  two  courses  of  logs  above  the  floor 
beams,  so  that  the  house  was  a  story  and  a  half  in 
height.  The  logs  being  hewn  on  two  sides,  then 
smoothed  with  an  adze,  the  window  frames  fitted 
close,  the  walls  two  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  and 


THE    SUKPKISE    PABTY.  121 

very  few  windows,  the  house  was  almost  as  tight 
as  though  it  grew  there. 

"  Hand  that  timber  right  up  here,"  shouted  Uncle 
Isaac,  from  the  chamber  floor,  "  and  clap  the  roof 
on.  That'll  be  enough  for  one  day ;  there's  reason 
in  all  things." 

As  there  were  half  a  dozen  men  to  a  rafter,  the 
timber  went  up  in  a  few  moments. 


122  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    CHRISTENING. 

"  HALLOA,  Uncle  Isaac  ! "  shouted  Joe  from  the 
house-top,  "this  ridge-pole  won't  fit;  you  didn't 
make  it  right." 

"  Yes,  I  did.  I  never  made  a  bad  joint  in  my 
life." 

"  Well,  it  won't  fit,  anyhow.  Master  Hunt  says 
'twont." 

"  O,  if  I  could  only  get  a  little  spirit  to  rub  on 
it,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  in  great  perplexity,  "  I'll  bet 
'twould  fit ;  but  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  how  I  can 
get  it  on  this  island." 

"  There's  some  aboard  the  schooner,"  said  John 
Strout;  and,  as  it  was  passed  up  the  frame,  Joe 
announced  that  the  ridge-pole  fitted  first  rate. 

"  Now,  boys,  the  frame  is  up,  and  must  be  named. 
Who  shall  name  it?" 

"  Seth  Warren,"  was  the  cry ;  "  he  got  up  the 
scrape."  Seth,  all  at  once,  became  extremely  diffi 
dent,  and  required  as  much  urging  as  a  distinguished 


THE    CHRISTENING.  123 

man  fit  Commencement  dinner,  but  finally  was  pre 
vailed  upon,  at  a  great  sacrifice  of  his  own  feelings, 
to  gratify  his  friends.  With  a  bottle  of  rum  in  his 
right  hand,  and  astride  the  ridge-pole,  he  gave  vent 
to  the  following  effusion  :  — 

Here,  in  the  woods,  yet  out  at  sea, 

Where  robins  sing  amid  the  surf, 
Where  ivy  clasps  the  moss-grown  tree, 

And  flowers  are  breaking  from  the  turf,  — 

We've  reared,  where  house  ne'er  stood  before, 
Nor  reaper  bound  the  swelling  grain, 

A  dwelling-place,  amid  the  roar 

Of  waves,  that  break  to  break  again. 

Good  luck  to  those  who  here  shall  live, 

Prosperity  their  path  attend, 
With  every  blessing  Heaven  can  give  — 

Health,  competence,  till  life  shall  end. 

To  them  its  wealth  may  ocean  yield, 

The  herds  their  milky  tribute  pour; 
Rich  harvests  crown  the  fertile  field, 

A  bouncing  baby  grace  the  floor. 

So  strong  a  man  ne'er  held  a  plough, 

A  seaman  tried,  a  shipmate  true ; 
So  sweet  a  girl  ne'er  milked  a  cow, 

Or  bleached  her  linen  in  the  dew. 


124  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

This  goodly  house  yet  lacks  a  name  ; 

Good  people  all,  I  pray  you  tell, 
How  I  most  worthily  the  same, 

This  afternoon,  may  christen  well. 

We'll  not  forget,  where'er  we  roam, 
When  thirty-five  young  stalwart  men, 

And  Uncle  Isaac,  reared  the  home 
Of  old  Elm  Island's  Lion  Ben. 

I  name  it,  then,  the  "  Lion's  Den;  " 

When  we  are  dead  these  walls  shall  last, 

To  tell  of  times  when  men  were  men, 
And  keep  the  record  of  the  past ;  — 

When  worth,  not  wealth,  won  woman's  heart, 

While  she  her  lighter  burden  bore ; 
At  wheel  and  loom  performed  her  part, 

And  added  to  the  common  store. 

As  he  concluded,  he  dashed  the  bottle  on  the 
ridge-pole,  and  flung  the  neck  high  in  the  air. 
Seth  was  frequently  interrupted  with  applause ; 
but,  when  he  finished,  there  was  a  complete  storm 
of  cheers. 

"I  call  that  the  cap-sheaf,"  said  Uncle  Isaac; 
"  there's  some  chaw  to  that ;  it's  raal  sentimental ; 
none  of  your  low  blackguard  stuff,  such  as  they 
generally  have  to  raisin's.  I  think  we  ought  all 


THE    CHRISTENING.  125 

join  together,  and  get  Squire  Linscott,  the  town 
clark,  to  copy  them  are  varses,  and  buy  a  gilded 
frame,  and  have  'em  hung  over  Ben's  fireplace ; 
then  our  grandchildren  will  know  about  it,  for  we 
haven't  done  anythin'g  on  this  island  we're  ashamed 
of,  and  don't  mean  to." 

It  was  universally  agreed  that  after  such  an  ef 
fort  a  man  must  be  thirsty ;  and  a  large  pail  of  milk 
punch  appeared  from  the  schooner.  Seth,  as  the 
poet  of  the  day,  received  £he  first  draught ;  then 
Uncle  Isaac  and  Master  Hunt,  and  so  it  went 
round. 

"  It  is  not  near  night  yet,"  said  Seth,  who  was 
greatly  pleased  with  his  successful  effort ;  "  what  do 
you  say  for  boarding  the  roof  and  ends  ?  there  is 
such  a  swarm  of  us  that  we  can  do  it  in  less  than 
an  hour." 

"I  think  we  have  done  enough,"  said  Uncle 
Isaac ;  "but  I'm  in  for  it  if  you  are."- 

They  accordingly  boarded  the  roof  and  the  ends. 

"  Now,"  said  Seth,  "  for  some  fun." 

The  chips  were  all  cleared  out  of  the  house,  and 
the  floor  swept  with  spruce  boughs;  it  made  a 
noble  hall ;  not  a  thing  in  it,  and  almost  square. 
Uncle  Isaac,  rolling  a  log  in  front  of  the  house, 
sat  down  to  smoke,  contemplating  his  workmanship 


126  LION    BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

with  the  greatest  complacency.  His  thoughts  were 
also  occupied  in  preparing  for  the  morrow.  He 
was  desirous  of  making  the  most  of  this  godsend, 
but  did  not  want  the  boys  to  feel  that  he  and 
Ben  were  trying  to  get  all  they  could  out  of  them. 
They  had  come  to  work,  but  for  a  good  time  as 
well.  This  was  the  secret  of  bis  influence  over  the 
boys.  He  had  not  outlived  his  youthful  feelings ; 
knew  theirs,  and  liked  to  frolic  as  well  as  they  did. 
Knowing  that  Seth  and  Joe  were  leaders  of  the 
rest,  and  would  do  anything  in  reason  for  Ben,  the 
wise  old  man  determined  to  create  a  public  senti 
ment,  and  then  follow  the  leadings  of  it ;  so  he 
took  them  aside,  and  told  them  this  plan,  of  which 
they  highly  approved,  and  which  Seth  was  to  pro 
pose  at  the  proper  time,  and  Joe  to  advocate. 
Seats  were  now  made  along  the  walls ;  a  great 
quantity  of  pitch  knots  were  piled  up  on  the  foun 
dation  of  the  chimney,  and  set  on  fire.  This  made 
such  a  light,  that  the  very  heads  of  the  nails  in  the 
floor  were  visible,  while  the  smoke  went  out  of  the 
hole  left  in  the  roof  for  the  chimney. 


THE    PULL    UP,  127 


CHAPTER   XII. 


THE 


"  As  we  can't  have  any  kissing  without  the  girls," 
said  Joe,  "  let's  play  '  Pull  up.'  " 

The  handle  of  one  of  the  axes  was  knocked  out, 
and  the  game  began.  It  was  a  most  severe  test  of 
strength.  Two  of  the  company,  sitting  upon  the 
floor,  and  putting  the  soles  of  their  feet  together, 
took  hold  of  the  axe-handle,  and  endeavored  to 
pull  each  other  up.  If  either  broke  his  hold  he 
was  adjudged  beaten.  Victory  in  this  game  de 
pends  not  merely  upon  weight,  as  it  might  seem  at 
first,  but  upon  strength  in  the  hands,  and  power  of 
endurance.  A  man  may  be  very  heavy,  and  have 
great  strength  in  his  arms,  and  not  be  strong  in  his 
fingers  to  retain  his  hold  upon  the  axe-handle. 

The  young  men  would  sit  there  and  pull,  with 
their  teeth  set,  and  the  perspiration  streaming  down 
their  faces,  and  their  eyes  almost  starting  from  their 
sockets.  When  they  were  pretty  equally  matched, 
one  would  raise  the  other  from  the  floor  an  inch  or 


128  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

two,  and  then  lose  it  again,  as  his  opponent  made 
desperate  efforts,  and  recovered  the  ground,  their 
friends  meanwhile  encouraging  either  party ;  and 
as  the  weakest  men  were  brought  on  first,  and  af 
terwards  the  strongest  and  most  equally  matched, 
the  game  became,  towards  the  close,  most  intensely 
interesting. 

Joe  Bradish  had  pulled  up  four  of  his  opponents, 
and  being  a  very  conceited  fellow,  strutted  about 
the  floor,  and  challenged  the  crowd  to  pull  him  up. 
The  challenge  would  not  have  remained  long  un 
accepted,  but  the  contest  had  now  become  limited 
to  a  few  of  the  strongest  men,  who,  knowing  they 
were  to  be  pitted  against  each  other,  were  saving 
themselves  for  the  final  struggle. 

Uncle  Isaac  saw  how  it  was  ;  and,  as  he  wished 
to  see  how  the  sport  would  go  on,  and  to  teach  the 
braggart  a  little  modesty,  he  rose  up,  threw  off  his 
outer  garment,  and  accepted  the  challenge.  His 
proposal  was  received  with  shouts  of  laughter. 

"  I'm  sorry  he's  done  it,"  said  Seth  to  Joe  Griffin, 
"though  I  can't  help  laughing.  I  should  be  sorry 
to  see  him  pulled  up  before  this  crowd,  for  I  know 
it  would  mortify  him ;  he  is  just  as  much  of  a  boy 
as  any  of  us." 

"He  wou't  be  pulled.     Uncle  Isaac,  I  can  tell 


THE    PULL    UP.  129 

you,  is  an  all  fired  strong  man  ;  it  don't  lay  in  Joe 
Bradish's  breeches  to  pull  him  up." 

"  I  know  that ;  but  he's  getting  in  years." 

"He  can't  wrestle  and  jump  quite  as  well  as  he 
could  once ;  but  he  can  lift  as  much,  and  pull  up 
as  well,  as  ever  he  could.  Joe  Bradish  will  get 
a  good  lesson ;  he'll  never  hear  the  last  of  it  as 
long  as  he  lives." 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  fling  on  some 
pitch  knots ;  if  I  am  going  to  be  beat,  I  want  every 
body  to  see  it." 

"  What  did  I  tell  you  ?  "  said  Joe,  giving  Seth  a 
poke  in  the  ribs ;  "  the  old  man  knows  what  he's 
about." 

The  two  champions  sat  down. 

"  Say  when  you're  ready,  Joe,"  said  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  Ready,"  says  Joe. 

Uncle  Isaac  was  not  only  strong,  but  of  very 
quick  strength  ;  and  before  the  words  were  well 
out  of  the  other's  mouth,  he  pulled  him  over  his 
head,  into  Joe  Griffin's  arms,  who  was  eagerly  look 
ing  over  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  It  ain't  fair,"  said  Joe,  his  face  as  red  as  fire ;  "  I 
wasn't  ready." 

"  You  said  you  was." 

"  Well,  I  thought  I  was ;  but  I  wasn't" 
9 


130         LION  BEN  OF  ELM  ISLAND. 

"Try  it  again,"  was  the  cry.  They  sat  down. 
Uncle  Isaac  waited  patiently  till  Joe  had  spit  on 
his  hands,  and  said  he  was  completely  ready,  when 
he  pulled  him  up  just  as  easily  as  before. 

"  I  thought  you  was  some,  Joe,"  said  Uncle  Isaac ; 
"  but  you  ain't  nothing." 

John  Strout,  a  large,  muscular  man,  whose  occu 
pation  as  a  sailor  had  the  effect  to  concentrate 
strength  in  the  fingers  and  chest,  had  pulled  up  all 
who  opposed  him.  The  call  was  now  for  Joe  Griffin, 
as  no  one  thought  of  pulling  with  Rhines.  Joe 
came  forward  at  the  summons.  Severe  was  the 
struggle ;  and,  as  these  were  the  last  antagonists, 
the  interest  was  proportionally  great.  Joe  finally 
pulled  John  from  the  floor,  but  the  blood  spun 
from  his  nose  in  consequence  of  his  efforts ;  and 
John  was  so  exhausted  that  he  could  scarcely  stand. 

"  I  could  not  have  done  it,  John,  if  you  had 
taken  hold  of  me  when  you  were  fresh,  for  an  ounce 
more  would  have  broken  my  hold." 

Uncle  Isaac  now  gave  the  wink  to  Seth,  who 
said,  loud  enough  for  everybody  to  hear,  "  I  think 
it's  a  pity,  now  we're  here,  that  we  couldn't  shingle 
the  house,  and  build  Ben  a  hovel  to  put  his  cow  in, 
and  hang  the  doors ;  then  all  he  would  have  to  do 
would  be  to  get  married." 


THE    PULL    UP.  131 

"  Well,  we  would  do  it,  if  we  had  the  shingles 
to  do  it  with  —  wouldn't  we,  boys  ?  "  said  Joe  Griffin. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  from  twenty  voices  ;  "  and 
we'll  build  the  hovel  and  hang  the  doors,  at  any 
rate  ;  we've  got  all  the  materials  for  that." 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  since  you  are 
so  free-hearted,  I'll  tell  you  what  I've  been  think 
ing  of,  for  I  feel  about  nineteen,  since  I  pulled  up 
Joe  Bradish.  I've  been  thinking  I  should  like  first 
rate  to  have  a  clarn  bake." 

"  A  clam  bake  !  a  clam  bake  ! "  was  the  cry. 

"  But  then,  you  see,  we  have  no  hoes  to  dig 
clams  with  ;  and  we  want  some  eggs,  potatoes,  and 
apples  to  bake  with  them.  Now,  I've  got  a  whole 
lot  of  hemlock  bark  on  the  edge  of  the  bank  on 
my  point,  where  you  can  go  to  it  with  the  gunde- 
low  —  enough  to  cover  three  such  houses.  I'll 
lend  it  to  Ben,  and  when  he  peels  bark  next  June 
he  can  pay  me  ;  and  I've  got  nails  likewise.  If  we 
can  get  an  early  start  in  the  morning,  we  can  do 
the  whole,  clam  bake  and  all.  The  bark  is  all  piled 
up,  so  that  it  is  flat,  and  will  lay  first  rate  ;  it  will 
make  as  tight  a  roof  as  shingles,  and  last  seven  or 
eight  years,  and  by  that  time  Ben  can  make  his 
own  shingles.  Some  of  you  can  load  the  gunde- 
low,  and  some  can  get  the  hoes  and  nails ;  and 


132  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

tell  Hannah  to  give  you  some  corn  that  grows 
in  the  western  field,  —  it's  a  late  piece  —  the  frost 
hasn't  touched  it  yet,  —  it's  just  right  to  roast; 
and  also  get  all  the  apples,  eggs,  and  potatoes  you 


o 

want." 


Uncle  Isaac's  plan  met  with  a  hearty  approval ; 
and  they  brought  in  some  brush,  and  lay  down  to 
sleep. 

The  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  John  Strout,  with 
a  strong  party,  started  after  the  bark,  taking  a  jug 
of  coffee  and  a  cold  bite  with  them. 

The  others  went  to  work  making  preparations 
to  cover  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  build  the  hovel. 
Uncle  Isaac  gave  Joe  Griffin  a  gang,  and  set  him 
to  build  the  hovel.  Sarn  Atkins,  with  the  ship  car 
penters,  went  to  work  upon  the  doors,  while  the 
rest  put  up  the  staging  upon  which  to  work  while 
covering  the  roof. 

The  hovel  was  built  of  round  logs,  notched  to 
gether,  with  a  roof  on  one  side,  —  what  is  called  a 
half-faced  cabin, — just  high  enough  to  clear  the 
cattle's  backs,  and  large  enough  to  hold  a  cow  and 
yoke  of  oxen.  Nothing  was  hewed  except  the 
poles  that  made  the  floor,  which  were  flatted  on 
the  upper  side  ;  and  the  openings  between  the  logs 
filled  with  clay  and  mortar. 


THE    PULL    UP.  133 

The  crew  now  arrived  with  the  bark,  when,  who 
should  come  with  them,  but  Uncle  Sam  Yelf  and 
Jonathan  Smullen !  Yelf  was  seventy,  Smullen 
seventy-five.  The  old  men  wanted  to  share  in  the 
clam  bake,  have  a  little  milk  punch,  and,  above  all, 
to  witness  the  wrestling  :  they  had  both  been  cham 
pions  of  the  ring  in  their  day. 

All  hands,  except  the  carpenters,  now  joined  in 
putting  on  the  sheets  of  bark ;  they  were  lapped 
like  shingles,  and,  being  four  feet  in  length,  were 
laid  with  great  rapidity. 

"  There  are  more  of  you  here  than  can  work  to 
advantage,"  said  Uncle  Isaac ;  "  some  of  you,  dig 
clams." 

In  the  mean  time  the  carpenters  hung  the  doors. 
The  hinges  and  latches  were  all  made  of  wood. 
The  latch  was  lifted  by  a  leather  string,  which  was 
put  through  a  hole  in  the  door  above  it,  and  hung 
down  on  the  outside.  Thence  came  the  phrase, 
"  the  latch-string  out,"  to  denote  open  doors  and 
hospitality ;  since,  when  it  was  pulled  in  there  was 
no  entrance. 

"  What  on  airth,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  has  become 
of  Sam  Atkins?  I  haven't  set  eyes  on  him  this 
whole  forenoon." 

While  the  rest  were  preparing  for  the  clam  bake, 


134  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

he  went  everywhere  looking  for  Sara.  A  great  fire 
was  now  built  in  the  hollow  of  a  ledge,  till  the 
rocks  were  red  hot.  Into  this  were  put  the  clams, 
together  with  eggs,  potatoes,  and  corn  with  the 
husk  on ;  the  whole  was  then  covered  with  sea 
weed,  to  keep  in  the  steam  while  they  were 
cooking. 

There  was  a  short  log  left  in  the  building  of  the 
house,  and,  in  order  to  pass  the  time  away,  while 
waiting  for  the  dinner,  they  dug  it  out,  and  made 
a  hog's  trough  :  thus  Ben's  first  article  of  furniture 
was  a  hog's  trough. 

The  clams  formed  the  first  course ;  eggs,  corn, 
apples,  and  cheese,  the  second ;  concluding  with 
milk  punch,  which  passed  from  hand  to  hand  in  a 
tin  quart. 

If  ever  there  was  real  enjoyment,  it  was  to  be 
found  among  that  frolicsome  throng  of  young  men, 
conscious  that  they  had  done  a  noble  act,  and,  in 
aiding  a  neighbor,  had  found  the  purest  happiness 
for  themselves. 


INJURED    PEOPLE    HAVE    LONG    MEMORIES.        135 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

INJURED    PEOPLE    HAVE    LONG   MEMORIES. 

As  Ben  had  shown  no  disposition  to  retaliate  for 
the  joke  played  upon  him,  had  never  mentioned  it 
to  any  one,  or  ever  alluded  to  it,  Joe  supposed 
that,  with  his  usual  good  nature,  he  had  forgot 
ten  it. 

Ben,  on  the  contrary,  had  resolved  to  pay  Joe  in 
his  own  coin,  with  usury,  whenever  a  fitting  oppor 
tunity  presented  itself. 

Some  weeks  before  he  had  mown  some  tall  grass, 
which  grew  on  the  beach,  made  it  into  hay,  and 
enclosed  it  with  a  brush  fence,  to  protect  it  from 
the  sheep.  Adjoining  the  stack  was  a  honey-pot. 
Honey-pots  are  mires,  sometimes  twenty  feet  or  more 
in  depth,  composed  of  a  blue,  adhesive  mud,  which, 
by  the  constant  soaking  of  some  hidden  spring, 
and  the  daily  flow  of  the  tide,  is  kept  in  a  half 
fluid  state,  except  upon  the  surface,  where  the 
clay,  being  somewhat  hardened  by  the  sun  at  low 
water,  is  stiff,  and  will  bear  a  man  to  walk 


136  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

over  it  quickly ;  but,  if  he  stands  a  moment,  down 
he  goes. 

Joe,  who  had  never  been  on  the  island  before, 
was  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  this  mire.  Ben, 
while  the  rest  were  asleep  the  night  before,  had  re 
moved  all  the  sand  and  drift  stuff,  and  scraped  the 
hard  clay  from  the  surface  of  the  honey-pot,  till 
it  would  hardly  bear  a  dog. 

While  the  boys  were  stretched  upon  the  grass, 
laughing  and  talking  after  dinner,  .Ben  asked  Joe 
to  help  him  bring  some  hay  on  the  poles  for  the 
oxen.  When  two  persons  carry  hay  on  poles,  the 
one  behind  cannot  see  where  he  steps,  but  must 
follow  his  leader,  who  picks  the  road  for  him.  Ben 
went  as  near  to  the  edge  of  the  honey-pot  as  he 
dared.  The  moment  he  got  a  little  by,  he  turned 
short  off,  bringing  Joe  right  into  the  middle  of  it. 
In  he  went,  carried  down  both  by  his  own  weight 
and  that  of  the  load,  clean  to  his  breast,  when  Ben, 
twitching  the  poles  away,  sat  down  on  the  bank  to 
laugh  at  him. 

"O,  Ben,"  cried  Joe,  "we're  square  now;  help 
me  out." 

Ben  took  out  his  knife,  and  began  to  whittle. 

Getting  frightened,  as  he  found  himself  gradu 
ally  sinking,  Joe  roared  for  help,  drawing  the  whole 


INJURED    PEOPLE    HAVE    LONG    MEMORIES.        137 

party  to  the  spot.  This  was  just  what  Ben  wanted. 
He  knew  that  Joe  had  told  everybody  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  trick  he  put  on  him,  and  it  was  his 
turn  now. 

The  moment  Joe  saw  Uncle  Isaac,  he  cried  out, 
"  Do  help  me ;  I'm  going  down."  As  there  was 
now  real  danger  of  his  smothering  in  the  mud,  Ben 
ran  the  poles  under  his  arms.  Joe  made  desperate 
efforts  to  extricate  himself  by  means  of  the  poles, 
but  the  mire  so  sucked  him  down,  that  he  only 
succeeded  in  getting  out  his  shoulders. 

At  this  juncture  Tige  came  rushing  along,  and, 
seizing  him  by  the  collar,  endeavored  to  lift  him 
out;  but  sinking  down  into  the  slime,  which  Joe's 
struggles  had  wrought  into  a  complete  porridge, 
his  mouth  and  nose  were  tilled  with  mud  and 
water  :  giving  a  vigorous  snort,  he  completely  plas 
tered  Joe's  face  and  eyes  with  it,  who,  not  being  in 
the  most  amiable  of  moods,  hit  him  a  cuff  on  the 
side  of  the  head.  Tigc,  enraged  at  being  thus  re 
warded  for  his  good  intentions,  was  going  to  bite 
him,  when  Ben  pulled  him  away  by  the  tail. 

"  Pity  I  wan't  a  dog,"  whined  Joe ;  "  then  there'd 
be  some  feeling  for  me." 

He  now  appealed  again  to  Uncle  Isaac ;  but  the 
old  man  had  thought  the  matter  all  over,  and  come 


138  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

to  the  deliberate  conclusion  that  it  was  time  Joe's 
wings  were  clipped  ;  that,  if  not  checked,  he  would 
become  unbearable ;  that  there  could  be  no  bet 
ter  time  to  administer  reproof,  and  one  stringent 
enough  to  be  remembered. 

"  You  know,  Joseph,"  said  he,  in  a  severe  tone, 
"  that  the  trick  you  played  last  week  on  Ben  was 
not  by  any  means  the  first  you've  played  on  him 
and  others.  Who  was  it  put  on  a  bear-skin,  got 
down  on  all  fours,  followed  the  widow  Hadlock 
when  she  was  going  home  from  my  house  through 
the  woods,  and  growled,  and  frightened  the  poor 
woman  so  that  she  was  sick  for  three  months,  and 
the  whole  town  turned  out  the  next  day  to  kill 
the  bear?" 

"  I  cut  all  her  winter's  wood,  to  pay  for  it." 

"  Who,"  said  Joe  Riggs,  "  stopped  up  the  chim 
ney,  when  the  young  folks  had  a  New  Year's  party 
in  the  chamber  over  the  store,  and  put  peas  on  the 
stairs,  so  that  Seth  Warren  fell  from  top  to  bottom, 
and  broke  his  leg  ?  " 

"Joe  Griffin,"  cried  Seth. 

"  He'd  done  the  same  to  me,  if  he'd  had  the 
chance,  and  wit  enough." 

"  It  makes  my  heart  ache,  Joseph,"  said  Uncle 
Isaac,  "to  see  a  young  man  in  your  situation  in 


INJURED    PEOPLE    HAVE    LONG    MEMORIES.        139 

such  an  unreconciled  frame  of  mind ;  we  never 
should  do  wrong  to  others  because  they  have  done, 
or  would  do,  wrong  to  us.  So  far  from  manifest 
ing  any  contrition,  you  justify  yourself  in  your  evil 
courses.  Instead  of  resignation  under  trial,  you 
appear  to  me  to  be  'gritting  your  teeth,'  and 
thrashing  about  like  unto  a  seal  in  a  herring  net." 

"  Who  was  it,"  asked  John  Strout,  "  when  Mose 
Atherton  was  all  dressed  up,  going  to  walk  round 
the  head  of  the  bay,  to  see  Sally  Bannister,  offered 
to  show  him  a  shorter  cut  over  the  marsh,  and  led 
him  into  a  honey-pot,  then  went  to  John  Godsoe's, 
told  them  there  was  a  man's  hat  on  Moll  Graffam's 
honey-pot,  and  he  guessed  somebody  must  be  in 
trouble  ?  When  Godsoe's  people  got  there,  the 
tide  was  flowing  around  him,  and  the  water  up  to 
his  chin." 

Joe  made  no  reply  to  this. 

"Don't  be  sullen,  Joe,  for  you  must  perceive 
we're  measuring  you  by  your  own  bushel.  I  begin 
to  fear  it  may  become  our  duty  to  leave  you  here 
till  you're  in  a  more  submissive  frame  of  mind." 

"  O,  Uncle  Isaac,  you  won't  leave  me  in  this 
mire,  six  miles  from  any  human  being,  to  perish  ?  " 

"  Not  to  perish,  young  man,  but  to  repent.  Let 
me  see :  to-day's  Thursday  ;  we  can  give  you  a  little 


140  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

light  food,  and  leave  you  over  the  Sabbath  ;  it's  a 
good  day,  and  should  bring  serious  reflections. 
The  water  don't  come  up  here,  except  when  it's  a 
storm.  I  don't  see  any  signs  of  a  storm  —  do  you, 
boys?" 

The  others  didn't  see  much  signs  of  one ;  some 
thought  that  'twas  a  little  "  smurry." 

"  Reflection  is  profitable,  Joseph.  Monday  we 
might  find  you  more  reconciled." 

"  I'll  do  anything  you  want  me  to,  if  you  will 
only  take  me  out." 

"  That  is  better.  Will  you  promise  not  to  play 
any  more  tricks  upon  any  of  this  company,  or  any 
body  else?" 

"  Don't  make  him  lie,"  said  Ben ;  "  he  can't  help  it." 

"  Well,  then,  will  you  promise  not  to  play  any 
more  upon  any  one  here,  and  say  that  you  are 
sorry  for  what  you  did  to  Ben  ?  " 

"  I  will." 

"  Then  we  will  take  you  out ;  and  I  trust  it  will 
be  a  warning  to  you  in  future.  Boys,  build  up  a 
fire  ;  he  must  be  half  perished  with  cold." 

Ben  got  some  boards,  and  laying  them  two-thick 
upon  the  surface  of  the  honey-pot,  walked  to  the 
place,  and  pulled  him  out ;  and  a  miserable  plight 
he  was  in. 


INJURED    PEOPLE    HAVE    LONG    MEMORIES.        141 

« Jump  into  the  water,  Joe,"  said  John  Strout, 
"and  wash  yourself;  and  I  will  go  to  my  chest  in 
the  schooner  and  get  you  a  shift  of  clothes." 

Joe  washed  the  mud  off  in  the  water,  and  then 
stood  by  the  fire  till  John  came  with  the  clothes ; 
then,  putting  them  on,  he  washed  his  own,  and 
hung  them  on  a  tree  to  dry. 

"Joe,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  did  you  see  anything  of 
Sam  Atkins  in  that  honey-pot?  for  I'm  blest  if  I 
know  what  has  become  of  him." 

"  Here  he  comes,"  said  Joe ;  and,  sure  enough, 
he  was  now  seen  coming  up  from  the  shore,  with 
something  on  his  shoulder. 

"  What  is  that,  Sam  ?"  asked  Uncle  Isaac. 

"A  cradle  for  that  bouncing  baby  Seth  told 
about."  He  had  got  out  the  stuff  unnoticed  by  the 
rest  of  them,  and  then  went  on  board  the  schooner 
and  put  it  together.  This  was  examined  by  all, 
and  caused  abundant  jests  at  Ben's  expense. 

It  was  now  proposed  that  they  should  end  the 
day  with  a  ring  wrestle,  both  at  close  hugs  and 
arms'  length.  While  the  wrestling  was  going  on, 
the  two  old  gentlemen,  for  whom  a  comfortable 
seat  had  been  provided  near  the  fire,  sat  looking  on, 
criticising  the  proceedings,  and  entering  into  every 
detail  with  intense  interest. 


142  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

The  presence  of  these  distinguished  veterans, 
with  their  great  bony  frames,  —  for  they  had  been 
men  of  vast  pith  and  power,  and  famed  through 
all  the  region,  —  acted  as  a  mighty  incentive  to  the 
young  men. 

"  I  think,  Uncle  Jonathan,"  said  Yelf,  "  you  and 
I  have  seen  the  day  we  could  show  these  boys 
some  things  they  haven't  learned  yet.  Do  you  re 
member  that  wrastle  we  had  when  Captain  Rlrines's 
house  was  raised  —  there  was  stout,  withy  men 
around  these  bays  in  them  days  ;  —  how  you  threw 
Sam  Hart,  that  came  forty  miles  to  wrastle  with 
you,  and  said  God  Almighty  never  made  the  man 
that  could  heave  him  ?  But  he  found  the  man  — 
didn't  he  ?  "  giving  his  friend  a  nudge  in  the  ribs 
with  his  elbow. 

"  They  said,"  replied  Smullen,  "  he  was  so  mor 
tified  because  he'd  bragged  so  much,  that  he  went 
home  and  hung  himself.  Ah,  my  toe  was  so  sartin 
in  those  days,  when  I  put  it  in !  You  know  I  had 
a  particular  trip  with  my  left  foot." 

"  Hoora ! "  said  Uncle  Sam,  as  John  Strout 
crotch-locked  Sam  Pettigrew,  and  threw  him ;  "  a 
fair  fall  that,  and  no  mistake.  Both  shoulders  and 
both  hips  on  the  ground." 

The  plaudits  of  the  veterans  were  like  fuel  to 


INJURED    PEOPLE    HAVE    LONG    MEMORIES.        143 

the  fire.  The  young  men  exerted  themselves  to 
the  utmost  in  the  presence  of  such  competent 
judges. 

At  length  their  aged  blood  began  to  circulate 
more  briskly,  under  the  combined  influence  of  the 
warm  fire,  milk  punch,  and  old  associations. 

"  Uncle  Sam,"  said  Smullen,  "  what  do  you  say 
to  me  and  you  trying  a  fall ;  we've  had  hold  of  one 
another  afore  to  day  ?  " 

"  Agreed,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  it  must  be  at 
arm's  length.  I've  had  the  rheumatics  so  much 
that  my  back's  got  kinder  shackly." 

The  young  people  laughed  till  the  tears  ran 
down  their  cheeks  as  they  stepped  into  the  ring, 
their  upper  garments  removed,  heads  bare,  and  the 
white  locks  flowing  round  their  shoulders.  Uncle 
Yelf,  producing  his  snuff-box,  —  a  sheep's  bladder, 
—  after  taking  a  pinch,  offered  it  to  Smullen,  and 
the  contest  began. 

They  exhausted  every  feint  known  to  the  art, 
and  it  was  soon  evident  to  the  young  people  that 
these  veterans  possessed  a  skill  unknown  to  them, 
and  that  it  was  only  in  the  strength  of  youth  they 
were  lacking. 

Beside  them  was  an  elm,  that  separated  at  the 
root  into  two  parts.  Between  the  forks  Smullen 


144  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

threw  Yelf  with  such  force,  that  he  was  firmly 
wedged,  and  had  to  be  pulled  out.' 

"Well,"  said  Uncle  Sam,  "he  ought  to  throw 
me  ;  he's  the  oldest." 

Just  before  sunset  they  took  leave  of  Ben,  and, 
with  hearty  cheers,  made  sail. 

It  was  a  current  saying,  in  respect  to  Uncle 
Isaac,  that  he  could  keep  more  men  at  work,  bring 
more  to  pass,  with  less  fuss,  and  have  everybody 
good-natured,  than  any  man  in  the  district ;  and 
nobly  had  he  justified  the  general  verdict. 


BEN   CONFIDES    IN    UNCLE    ISAAC.  145 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

BEN    CONFIDES    IN    UNCLE    ISAAC     AND    IS    COM 
FORTED. 

THE  party  on  the  island  sat  by  the  camp  fire, 
listening  to  the  voices  of  their  departing  friends, 
till  they  died  away  in  the  distance. 

"  Who  are  you  going  to  get  to  build  your  chim 
ney,  Ben  ?  "  asked  Uncle  Isaac. 

"Joe  Dorset." 

"  I  never'd  get  him  ;  a  poor  man  can't  afford  to 
hire  him ;  he  came  from  Newburyport,  and  he'd  be 
always  heaving  out,  and  telling  how  much  better 
they  have  things  in  Massachusetts ;  growling  about 
the  stuff  he  has  to  work  with,  and  can't  do  any 
thing  without  merchantable  brick." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  him,"  said  Ben, 
"only  I've  heard  he  is  an  excellent  workman." 

"  Well,  so  he  is ;    but  when  you've   said   that 

you've  said  everything.     He'll  have  a  great  many 

long  stories  to  tell,  that'll  eat  up  his  own  time,  and 

hinder  other  people.     I  like  t^hear  a  good  story 

10 


146  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

myself,  and  tell  one  too ;  but  I  always  do  it  after 
work,  and  not  to  hinder  work,  in  my  own  time,  and 
not  my  employer's ;  besides,  he's  so  lazy !  He  went 
fishing  one  year  with  John  Strout,  and  he  was  so 
long  hauling  up  a  codfish  that  a  dogfish  eat  him  all 
up,  and  left  nothing  but  the  bare  hooks  to  come  to 
the  top  of  the  water." 

"Who  shall  I  get?" 

"  Get  Sam  Elwell.' 

"  He  ain't  a  mason." 

"  No,  but  he's  a  plaguy  sight  better  for  your  pur 
pose  ;  he's  a  natural  stone  layer  —  took  it  up  of  his 
own  head ;  he'd  build  you  a  chfmney  out  of  the 
stones,  right  here  on  the  island,  that'll  carry  the 
smoke  first  rate,  and  that's  all  you  want  of  a  chim 
ney  ;  and  he'll  do  it  in  quarter  of  the  time.  Then 
the  chirnney'll  compare  with  the  house,  and  they'll 
be  all  of  a  muchness." 

At  this  period  of  the  conversation  Joe  flung 
himself  upon  the  brush,  and  was  soon  sleeping 
soundly. 

"  Uncle  Isaac,  now  that  we  are  alone,  I  want  to 
tell  you  how  I  feel.  It  does  seem  to  me  that  it's 
bad  enough  to  bring  Sally  into  a  log  house  at  all, 
and  that  I  ought,  in  reason,  to  have  had  panel 
doors  in  it ;  mor^than  two  windows  in  the  whole 


BEN    CONFIDES    IN    UNCLE    ISAAC.  147 

in  a  broadside,  with  a  good  brick  chimney  and  oven 
laid  in  lime  mortar." 

"  Plank  doors,  tongued  and  cleated,  are  the  warm 
est.  Panel  doors  in  a  log  house  wrould  look  like 
a  man  with  a  beaver  hat  on  and  barefoot.  You 
can  cut  out  a  window  whenever  you  like,  and  the 
less  holes  the  warmer." 

"  But  the  chimney,"  persisted  Ben ;  "  what  will 
she  say  to  that  ?  and  how  can  she  get  along  with 
out  an  oven  ?  " 

"  Sally  is  one  that  looks  into  the  realities  of 
things  ;  and  if  she  has  made  up  her  mind  to  live 
on  this  island,  depend  upon  it  she  has  considered 
the  matter  all  round,  is  looking  forward  to  some 
thing  better,  and  that  will  keep  her  from  being 
discouraged,  however  severe  things  may  appear  at 
first.  I  don't  suppose  as  how  an  oven  can  be  made 
of  stone  ;  but  I'll  tell  you  what  I  will  do  —  take  up 
the  bricks  in  my  butt'y  floor,  and  lend  'em  to 
you ;  it's  altogether  too  late  for  you  to  get  bricks 
this  fall." 

"Well,  I  hope  'twill  all  turn  out  well;  but  I 
know  in  my  soul  that  she's  no  more  idea  of  what 
living  in  a  log  house  is,  than  she  has  of  London." 

"  I  know  a  great  deal  more  about  Sally  Hadlock 
than  you  do,  though  you  are  engaged  to  be  married 


148  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

to  her,  because  I  know  her  people,  and  there's  a 
great  deal  in  the  blood.  She  is  the  living  picture 
of  her  grandmother  Hannah,  my  wife  was  named 
for,  who  came  down  here  when  it  was  a  howling 
wilderness,  fought  hunger  and  the  Injuns,  and  beat 
'em  both.  Handsome  as  she  is,  and  gentle  and 
good  as  she  seems  and  is,  she's  got  the  old  iron 
natur  of  that  breed  of  folks,  who  had  much  rather 
earn  a  thing  than  have  it  gin  to  'cm.  She's  had 
nothing  to  call  out  that  grit  yet;  but  you'll  find 
out  what  she's  made  of  when  she  comes  to  be 
put  to't." 

"  There's  one  thing  that  troubles  me,  that  per 
haps  you  haven't  thought  of.  If  I  was  going  to 
take  her  into  a  new  settlement,  where  everybody 
lived  in  log  houses,  and  all  fared  alike,  it  would  be 
another  thing ;  but  I  am  going  to^bring  her  where 
she  can  look  right  across  the  bay,  and  see  the  smoke 
of  her  mother's  chimney,  and  all  her  friends  and 
folks  living  in  nice  frame  houses.  Now,  if  she's 
unhappy,  and  keeps  it  to  herself  on  my  account, 
and  grief  is  gnawing  at  her  heartstrings,  I  can't 
bear  that." 

"Benjamin,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  solemnly,  who 
saw  his  friend  was  really  distressed,  "  what  I'm  go 
ing  to  say  to  you  now  I  say  candidly,  and  what 


BEN    CONFIDES    IN    UNCLE    ISAAC.  149 

I  know  to  be  a  fact.  I'm  a  married  man,  Ben,  and 
know  what  a  woman  is.  When  a  woman  really 
sets  her  heart  on  a  man,  he  is  almost  like  God  Al 
mighty  to  her ;  and  the  more  she  can  put  herself 
out  for  him,  the  more  contented  she  is  ;  that  is,  if 
she's  morally  sartin  he  loves  her.  Now,  Sally  loves 
you  with  her  whole  soul,  for  she  might  have  had 
her  pick  of  half  the  young  men  in  town,  and  she 
knows  it.  She  is  also  sure  that  you  love  her,  or 
you  would  never  have  given  up  the  business  pros 
pects  that  you  had,  and  undergo  all  that  you  must 
undergo  on  this  island  just  on  her  account;  there 
fore  the  more  hardships  she's  called  to  suffer  'long 
with  you,  the  lighter  hearted  she'll  be ;  yes,  she'll 
take  pride  iu't.  O,  Benjamin,  these  rich  folks,  who 
never  know  what  it  is  to  strive  and  contrive  to  get 
along,  don't  taste  the  real  honey  of  married  life ; 
they  don't  know  what's  in  one  another,  and  don't 
love  one  another  as  those  do  who  have  to  fight  for 
a  living.  Why,  they  can't ;  they  haven't  had  to 
lean  on  each  other,  and  be  so  necessary  to  each 
other." 

"  Well,  I  never  thought  of  that  before." 
"  Of  course  .  you  haven't ;    I  expect  you'll  have 
the  happiness  of  finding  that  out.     I  tell  you,  Han 
nah  and  I  take  lots   of  comfort   Sabbath  nights, 


150  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

when  we  ain't  tired,  talking  over  all  we've  been 
through  together.  And  then  sometimes  I  get  the 
Bible,  and  read  them  are  varses,  where  it  says, '  She 
seeketh  wool  and  flax,  and  worketh  willingly  with 
her  hands ;  she  will  do  him  good,  and  not  evil,  all 
the  days  of  her  life.'  I  can't  help  giving  her  a 
kiss,  and  saying,  '  Well,  wife,  I  never  should  've  got 
through  it  if 't  hadn't  been  for  yon.' " 

This  last  sally  of  the  noble  old  philosopher  of 
the  woods  completely  silenced  Ben,  who  promised 
he'd  never  harbor  another  doubt  in  respect  to  the 
matter. 

"  There's  another  thing,  Benjamin  ;  don't  try  to 
slick  it  over  any,  but  make  it  full  as  bad  as  'tis. 
If  she  expects  the  worst,  and  then  finds  it  a  great 
deal  better  'n  she  expected,  'twill  make  her  more 
contented.  There's  a  great  deal  in  the  first  feel 
ing  and  the  first  look  of  a  thing,  especially  to  a 
woman." 

The  next  day  Ben  and  Joe  were  employed  in 
hauling  stone  for  the  chimney,  and  making  clay 
mortar.  Uncle  Isaac  cut  a  red  oak,  and  hewed  out 
a  mantel-bar,  to  form  the  top  of  the  fireplace  ;  it 
was  twelve  feet  in  length,  and  no  less  than  nine 
inches  square,  as  it  was  to  support  a  great  weight 
of  stone.  Though  of  wood,  it  was  so  far  from  the 


BEN    CONFIDES    IN    UNCLE    ISAAC.  151 

fire,  on  account  of  the  great  height  and  depth  of 
the  fireplace,  that  it  could  not  well  burn  ;  besides, 
it  was  always  the  custom,  whenever  they  had  a 
great  fire,  to  wet  the  mantel-bar  the  last  thing  be 
fore  going  to  bed. 

He  then  cut  a  hole  through  the  floor,  in  what 
was  to  be  the  front  entry,  to  pour  potatoes  through 
into  the  cellar  (because  the  cellar  was  under  the 
south  part  of  the  house),  and  made  a  door  to 
cover  it. 

The  house  would  seem  to  my  readers  but  a  poor 
place  to  live  in.  There  were  but  four  windows  be 
low,  and  these  being  put  on  the  corners,  to  admit 
of  making  others  between  them  when  they  should 
be  able,  gave  to  the  house  a  funny  look.  The 
house  consisted  of  but  two  rooms  below,  separated 
by  a  rough  board  partition,  in  which  were  two 
doors  of  rough  boards,  hung  by  wooden  hinges. 
The  chamber  was  reached  by  a  ladder ;  the  boards 
of  the  floors  were  rough,  and  full  of  splinters,  just 
as  they  came  from  the  saw.  Against  the  wall  in 
the  north-west  corner,,  with  shelves  and  closets 
nicely  planed,  were  some  dressers  to  hold  dishes. 
In  the  cellar  was  a  square  arch  of  stone,  into  which 
Uncle  Isaac  put  shelves,  and  to  which  he  made 
doors.  He  then  made  a  cross-legged  table,  all  in 


152  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

one  leaf,  and  a  settle  to  place  before  the  fire,  with 
a  back  higher  than  the  top  of  a  person's  head,  to 
keep  off  the  draughts  of  air  that  went  up  the  great 
chimney. 

They  went  off  Saturday,  well  satisfied  with  what 
they  had  accomplished. 


ENCOURAGING    NATIVE    TALENT.  153 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ENCOURAGING    NATIVE    TALENT. 

THE  moment  Uncle  Isaac  landed,  he  set  out  for 
Sam  Elwell's.  Going  along,  he  saw  Yelf  's  horse 
feeding  beside  the  road,  with  the  bridle  under  his 
feet,  and,  a  little  farther  on,  his  master  lying  in  a 
slough  hole,  to  all  appearance  dead,  but,  as  it 
turned  out,  only  dead  drunk.  He  pulled  him  out, 
and,  as  he  was  unable  to  stand,  set  him  against  the 
fence  to  drip,  while  he  caught  the  horse ;  his  gray 
hairs  and  face  were  plastered  with  mud ;  his  nose 
had  bled ;  the  blood  was  clotted  upon  his  beard, 
and  soaked  the  bosom  of  his  shirt. 

"  How  came  you  in  this  mud  hole  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  see,  Isaac,  the  mare  went  in  to  drink ; 
the  bridle  slipped  out  of  my  hand  ;  I  reached  down 
to  get  it,  kind  o'  lost  my  balance,  and  fell  right 
over  her  head,  and  hit  my  nose  on  a  rock.  I  think, 
Isaac,  I  must  have  taken  a  leetle  drop  too  much." 

His  friend  scraped  the  mud  from  him  as  well  as 
he  could  with  a  chip,  put  him  on  the  mare  (for 


154  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

Yelf  could  ride  when  altogether  too  drunk  to 
walk),  and  left  him  at  his  own  house,  which  lay  in 
the  direction  he  was  going. 

"  That's  a  bad  sight,"  said  Uncle  Isaac  to  him 
self,  as  he  went  on,  "and  it's  one  that's  getting 
altogether  too  common.  I  remember  the  time 
when  he  was  content  with  his  three  glasses  a  day, 
and  perhaps  a  nightcap  ;  but  now  he  can't  stop  till 
he  stops  in  a  ditch.  There  ain't  a  man  in  this 
town  but  what  drinks  spirit,  myself  among  the 
rest,  and  most  of  them  more  than's  good  for  'em. 
}  I  don't  see  why  people  can't  use  liquor  with  mod 
eration,  and  without  making  a  beast  of  themselves. 
If  it  was  only  these  old,  worn-out  ones,  like  Yelf, 
'twouldn't  be  so  much  matter ;  but  it's  amongst  the 
young  folks ;  and  even  boys  get  the  worse  for 
liquor.  It's  natural  they  should  ;  for  if  men  sail  ves 
sels,  boys  '11  sail  boats.  It's  time  something's  done, 
though  what  can  be  done  I'm  sure  I  don't  know. 
What  an  awful  thing  it  would  be,  if,  one  of  these 
days,  Ben  or  Joe  Griffin  should  pick  me  out  of  a 
ditch,  and  carry  me  home  to  my  family  looking  like 
that !  I'll  think  about  it,  and  talk  with  Hannah  this 
blessed  night."  He  was  aroused  from  his  medita 
tions  by  hearing  the  voice  of  Sam  at  his  own  door. 

He  was  about  the  age  of  Isaac,  but  a  much 


ENCOURAGING    NATIVE    TALENT.  155 


heavier  man,  being  very  thick  set,  with  a  stoop  in 
his  shoulders.  His  hands  were  of  great  size,  full 
of  cracks  ;  his  fingers  crooked,  from  constant  work 
ing  with  stone  hammers  and  drills;  many  of  the 
nails  jammed  off,  and  his  face  as  hard  as  the  stones 
he  worked  on.  He  was  also  a  man  of  very  few 
words,  while  Isaac  liked  to  talk  ;  yet  they  had  been 
close  friends  from  boyhood,  took  great  delight  in 
each  other's  society  (if  it  could  be  called  society 
where  one  talked  and  the  other  listened),  and  al 
ways  got  together,  and  worked  together,  whenever 
they  could.  They  were  both  passionately  fond  of 
gunning.  Isaac  was  the  quicker  shot ;  but  Sam 
could  scull  a  float  steadier  and  faster  than  any  man 
along  the  shore.  He  could  also  lay  brick  well,  but 
was  possessed  of  a  remarkable  gift  for  working  upon 
rocks.  He  knew  just  how  to  take  hold  of  a  great 
rock  to  move  it,  and  could  do  a  better  quality  of 
work  than  they  ever  had  occasion  for  in  that  rude 
state  of  society,  where  nobody  had  hammered  door 
steps  but  Captain  Rhines,  widow  Hadlock,  and  a 
few  others.  He  knew  all  about  the  nature  and 
'grain  of  rocks,  could  dress  underpinning,  or  make 
a  millstone  out  of  a  boulder  in  the  pasture. 

He  had  just  come  home  from  a  long  job,  and 
was  taking  his  tools  out  of  the  cart. 


156  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 


"Let  them  be,"  said  Isaac;  "We  got  another 
job  for  you : "  as  he  spoke  he  pulled  the  clevis-pin 
out  of  the  tongue. 

Sarn,  without  a  word,  unyoked  the  oxen,  and 
went  into  the  barn  to  feed  them,  while  the  other 
tied  them  up. 

Isaac,  without  any  invitation,  followed  Sam  into 
the  house.  The  table  was  in  the  floor,  and  Sam's 
wife  had  just  put  on  the  victuals.  "Set  along," 
said  Sam,  motioning  Isaac  to  a  chair.  That's  the 
way  they  lived.  If  they  chanced  to  be  in  each 
other's  houses  about  meal  time,  they  always 
stopped.  If  they  met  on  the  road,  or  were  at 
work  together  in  the  woods,  or  had  been  off  gun 
ning,  they  always  went  to  the  house  that  was 
nearest.  Their  wives  never  worried  about  them, 
for  they  knew  where  they  were,  and  were  as  good 
friends  as  their  husbands. 

"  Sam,"  said  Isaac,  "  did  you  ever  see  a  fireplace 
and  chimney  built  of  stone  ?  " 

«  No." 

"You  didn't?" 

"  I've  seen  stones  set  up  in  a  log  camp  to  build  a 
fire  against,  with  a  'cat  and  clay'  chimney  built 
over  them ;  but  'twas  a  make-shift  till  they  could 
get  bricks." 


ENCOURAGING   NATIVE    TALENT.  157 

"Could  it  bffione?" 

"  They  say  Necessity's  the  mother  of  Invention. 
I  suppose  it  might,  by  putting  in  the  proper  stone." 

"  Well,  Ben  Rhines  has  got  his  house  up,  can't 
get  bricks  this  fall,  and  don't  know  what  to  do. 
He  was  going  to  get  Joe  Dorset  to  build  his  chim 
ney  ;  but  I  told  him  I  knew  you  could  build  a  good 
fireplace  and  chimney  out  of  the  rocks  on  the 
island,  if  you  had  a  mind  to. 

"Dorset  don't  know  anything  about  rocks," 
growled  Sam. 

"  Now,  let  me  tell  you  about  the  stone.  There's 
a  granite  ledge  on  the  western  p'int  that  lays  in 
thin  sheets,  that  you  can  break  up  with  your  stone 
hammer." 

"  Granite's  first  rate  for  a  chimney,  but  'twont 
do  for  a  fireplace." 

"  Then  there's  a  kind  of  gray  stone,  with  white 
streaks  in  it,  but  softer  than  granite." 

"  That's  a  bastard  soapstone ;  that'll  do  for  a 
fireplace." 

"  Well,  can  you  do  it  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"Will  you?" 

«Yes." 

"  Enough  said.    Now,  I'm  bound  Sally  shall  have 


._ 
158  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

an  oven  ;  and  I'm  going  to  take  up  my  butt'ry  floor 
to  make  it  of." 

"  You  needn't  do  that.  I  can  make  as  good  an 
oven  of  that  stone  as  ever  a  woman  baked  bread 
in.  It'll  crack  some,  but  not  half  as  bad  as  gran 
ite.  It'll  hold  heat  wonderfully." 

"You  beat  all,  Sam.  I  told  Ben  I  knew  you 
could  build  a  chimney  without  a  brick  in  it ;  but  I 
never  dreamt  of  your  building  an  oven." 

"  Who  am  I  to  have  to  tend  me,  and  help  handle 
these  big  stones  ?" 

"  That  pretty  little  Ben  Rhines  and  Joe  Griffin, 
to  say  nothing  of  myself."  i 

When  Sam  went  on  to  the  island  and  saw  the 
stone,  he  rubbed  his  hands,  and  chuckled,  and  talked 
to  himself,  and  appeared  overjoyed^ 

"  What  a  queer  old  coon  he  is ! "  said  Joe ;  "  any-  I 
body'd  think  he'd  found  a  gold  mine,  instead  of  a 
pile  of  rocks." 

There  was  but  one  fireplace,  and  that  was  in  the 
kitchen  ;  but  the  hearths  were  laid  in  the  two  front 
rooms  for  two  more,  whenever  they  should  be 
parted  off  and  finished. 

This  fireplace  was  made  of  three  large  stones, 
which  Uncle  Sam  cut  and  fitted  together  without 
any  mortar.  It  was  five  feet  to  the  mantel-bar, 


ENCOURAGING    NATIVE    TALENT.  159 

eight  between  the  jambs,  and  of  proportionate  depth. 
This  monstrous  cavern  was  the  fireplace.  Such  a 
master  was  Uncle  Sam  of  his  business,  that  when 
he  saw  a  rock  in  the  pile  that  he  wanted,  he  would 
throw  a  little  stone  at  it,  and  Ben  or  Joe  would 
bring  it  to  him. 

But  it  was  upon  the  oven  that  Uncle  Sam  dis 
played  his  genius.  Pie  found  a  place  where  a  large 
portion  of  this  bastard  soapstone  ledge  had  cracked 
and  fallen  out  into  the  sea,  leaving  a  smooth  per 
pendicular  face.  He  told  Ben  this  rock. was  rent 
when  Christ  was  crucified.  From  this  ledge  he 
split  offj  ust  such  large,  flat  slabs  as  he  wanted, 
made  them  perfectly  smooth,  squared  the  edges, 
and  of  them  built  his  oven  in  the  form  of  a  stone 
box,  having  top,  bottom,  and  sides  of  perfectly 
smooth  stones;  for  he  threw  sand  and  water  on 
them,  and  putting  on  another  great  stone,  as  big  as 
he  and  Uncle  Isaac  could  lift,  he  got  Ben  to  scour 
them,  while  he  stood  by  and  threw  on  sand  and 
water,  till  they  were  perfectly  smooth.  He  now 
put  them  together,  leaving  a  space  of  a  foot  or 
more  at  the  sides  and  ends.  The  covering  stone 
was  made  to  project  on  every  side,  so  as  to  enter 
into  the  body  of  the  chimney,  in  order  that,  if  it 
should  crack,  it  could  not  fall  down.  He  now  built 


160  LION   BEN    OP   ELM   ISLAND. 

a  roaring  fire  in  it.  By  and  by  the  great  stone  on 
top,  and  one  on  the  side,  cracked  with  a  loud  noise. 

"  Crack  away,"  said  Uncle  Sam  ;  "  crack  all  you 
want  to." 

He  then  took  some  clay  mortar,  filled  all  the 
space  round  the  sides,  worked  it  into  all  the  cracks 
and  joints,  and,  after  it  was  thoroughly  dry,  made 
another  great  fire,  and  baked  it  all  into  brick.  It 
would  never  crack  any  more,  because  the  fire  had 
already  opened  all  the  bad  places  in  the  soapstone, 
and  these  were  filled  with  clay  mortar,  which  was 
now  burned  into  brick. 

When  the  chimney  was  up  to  the  chamber  floor, 
he  made  what  was  called  an  eddy  /  that  is,  he 
brought  the  chimney  right  out  into  the  chamber. 
Across  it  he  put  three  beech  poles,  called  lug-poles : 
these  were  to  hang  anything  on  which  it  was  de 
sired  to  have  smoked.  He  also  made  a  stone  shelf 
in  one  corner  to  put  an  ink-bottle  on,  or  anything 
that  was  to  be  kept  from  freezing.  There  was  so 
much  fire  left  on  the  hearth  at  night  that  these 
great  chimneys  never  got  cold.  Uncle  Isaac  then 
made  a  tight  door,  to  keep  the  smoke  from  coming 
into  the  chamber. 

"  Ben,"  said  Uncle  Sam,  "  are  you  going  to  have 
a  crane  ?  " 


ENCOURAGING    NATIVE    TALENT.  161 

"  No  ;  I  can't  afford  it." 

"  Then  I'll  put  in  another  lug-pole." 

It  was  the  custom  to  fasten  a  chain  to  this  to 
hang  the  pot  on. 

"  That's  right,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  delighted  with 
the  effect  of  his  teachings;  "a  withe  is  just  as 
good ;  I'll  give  you  a  piece  of  chain  to  put  on  the 
end  of  it.  When  you  go  up  in  the  spring  with 
a  load  of  spars,  you  can  buy  iron,-  and  have  a 
crane  made." 

"  I,"  said  Joe,  "  will  make  it  for  you  ;  I'm  black 
smith  enough  for  that." 

"Now,"  said  Sara,  "I  want  just  one  thing  — 
some  lime  to  lay  the  stone  in  after  I  get  above  the 
roof,  and  collar  the  chimney." 

There  was  a  large  lot  of  clam  shells  on  the 
shore,  where  the  fishermen  had  shelled  clams  for 
bait.  These  he  burned  into  as  handsome  white 
lime  as  ever  you  saw.  Uncle  Sam,  though  a  man 
of  but  few  words,  possessed  a  very  kind  heart, 
and  was  much  attached  to  Sally ;  hence  the  great 
pains  he  bestowed  upon  the  chimney  and  oven. 
He  now,  therefore,  as  the  chimney  stood  right 
out  in  the  room,  and  was  not  concealed  by  any 
woodwork,  took  some  of  the  lime  and  white 
washed  it,  and  also  the  arch  in  the  cellar.  Uncle 
11 


162  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

Isaac  now  made  a  fire  to  try  it.  It  was  found  to 
carry  smoke  splendidly,  —  upon  which  he  praised 
it  in  no  measured  terms.  Sam  was  evidently 
much  pleased  with  the  encomiums  of  his  friend; 
and,  that  both  might  have  cause  for  satisfaction, 
Joe  then  told  Sam  about  Uncle  Isaac's  pulling  up 
B  radish. 

The  last  thing  Uncle  Sam  did  was  to  split  out 
two  large  stones  for  doorsteps.  After  they  were 
placed,  he  said  to  Ben,  "  These  stones  are  the  best 
of  granite ;  and  when  you  build  a  frame  house,  if 
I  ain't  dead,  or  past  labor,  I'll  dress  them  for  you, 
and  they'll  make  as  handsome  steps  as  are  in  the 
town  of  Boston. 

"  Well,  Ben,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  as  they  left  the 
island,  "  that's  a  log  house  ;  but  it's  a  very  different 
one  from  those  in  which  your  father  and  I  were 
born  and  brought  up :  they  were  no  better  than 
your  hovel.  We  had  no  cellar,  but  kept  our  sass 
in  a  hole  in  the  ground  out  doors.  My  poor 
mother  never  had  an  oven  while  she  lived,  but 
baked  everything  on  a  stone,  or  in  the  ashes.  She 
raised  a  rugged  lot  of  children,  for  all  that,  who 
live  in  good  frame  houses,  and  have  land  of  their 
own  now ;  but  then  it's  harder  for  you  than  'twas 


ENCOURAGING    NATIVE    TALENT.  163 

for  us,  because  we  were  all  alike,  and  had  never 
seen  anything  better ;  while  you  are  going  to  live 
in  a  log  house,  right  in  sight  of  those  who  live  in 
better  ones.  But  you  will  be  supported,  Ben,  and 
will  be  prospered." 


164  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

BEN    OUTWITTED,    AND    UNCLE    ISAAC    ASTONISHED. 

SALLY  and  Bon  now  began  to  make  preparations 
for  housekeeping.  She  had  a  little  money,  earned 
by  her  labor,  and  she  persuaded  Ben  to  go  in  a 
schooner  that  was  bound  to  Salem,  and  make  some 
purchases  for  her.  No  sooner  was  Ben  out  of  sight, 
than  Sally  started  for  Uncle  Isaac's.  She  found 
him  alone  in  the  barn. 

"  Uncle  Isaac,"  said  she,  "  will  you  do  something 
forme?" 

"  Anything  in  reason,  Sally." 

"  Could  you  get  me  over  to  Elm  Island,  and  not 
any  soul  know  it  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I  might." 

"Well,  will  you?" 

"  But  what  do  you  want  to  go  there  for  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you.  I'm  determined  to  live  there,  and 
be  contented  and  happy,  and  make  my  husband 
happy ;  but  I  know  it  will  be  very  different  from 
anything  that  I  have  ever  seen,  or  can  imagine." 


BEN    OUTWITTED.  165 

"  You'll  find  it  a  rough  place,  Sally." 

"  I'm  afraid  that  when  I  go  on  with  Ben  I  might 
be  kind  of  surprised,  and  by  looks,  if  nothing  else, 
show  it,  and  hurt  Ben's  feelings." 

"  That  you  might  burst  out  crying  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  you  go  down  to  the  point,  and  hide  in 
the  bushes  till  I  come." 

In  a  short  time  Uncle  Isaac  came.  Sally  got  in, 
and  lay  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat ;  he  cov 
ered  her  over  with  spruce  boughs,  and  pulled  for 
the  island.  It  was  a  bright,  sunshiny  morning. 
He  rowed  right  into  the  mouth  of  the  brook,  and 
on  to  the  beach.  As  Sally  felt  the  boat  touch  the 
bottom,  she  flung  off  the  covering,  and,  rising  up, 
looked  around  her. 

"  What  a  beautiful  spot ! "  was  her  involuntary 
exclamation,  as  she  gazed,  enraptured,  upon  the 
dense  foliage  of  the  maple  and  birch,  rich  with  all 
the  tints  of  autumn,  and  listened  to  the  ripple  of 
the  brook  that  fell  over  the  rocks  before  her. 
Then,  clapping  her  hands,  she  burst  into  a  clear, 
ringing  laugh,  as  her  eye  rested  upon  the  house  — 
her  future  home.  Uncle  Isaac  was  confounded. 
At  first  he  thought  it  was  an  hysterical  affection, 
and  concealed  grief  and  disappointment ;  but,  as 


166  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

he  looked  into  her  eyes,  he  saw  that  it  was  heart 
felt.  He  was  in  the  position  of  a  sailor,  who,  hav 
ing  braced  his  yards  to  meet  a  squall,  is  caught 
aback  by  the  wind  coming  in  an  opposite  direction. 
All  the  way  to  the  island  he  had  been  preparing 
himself  for  the  task  of  consolation,  and  arranging 
his  arguments  for  that  purpose,  —  never  for  a  mo 
ment  doubting  but  Sally,  with  all  her  resolution, 
would  at  first  be  somewhat  disheartened. 

"  Uncle  Isaac,"  cried  Sally,  "  did  that  house  grow 
there  ?  See,  the  bark  is  on  it.  What  on  earth  is 
the  chimney  made  of?" 

Then  she  burst  out  again  into  peals  of  laughter, 
so  joyous  that  Uncle  Isaac  joined  with  her,  and 
laughed  till  his  sides  ached. 

"  Why,  Uncle  Isaac,  Ben  told  me  it  was  a  most 
desolate-looking  place,  all  woods  and  rocks ;  that 
the  house  was  right  on  the  shore,  and  that  in  great 
storms  the  sea  roared  awfully,  and  the  spray  would 
fly  on  to  the  windows.  He  never  said  a  word 
about  the  brook.  I  do  love  brooks  so  much !  I 
mean  to  have  my  wash-tub,  in  summer,  right  under 
that  yellow  birch  ;  you  see  if  I  don't.  Such  a  nice 
place  to  spread  out  linen  thread  and  cloth  to 
bleach  ;  and  things  look  so  much  whiter  when  they 
are  spread  on  the  grass !  Why,  here  is  a  piece  of 


UNCLE    ISAAC    ASTONISHED.  167 

grass  almost  large  enough  for  a  field ;  such  a  sunny, 
sheltered  spot,  too !  the  woods  and  the  hill  break  off 
every  bit  of  wind.  What  a  nice  place,  under  that 
ledge,  to  plant  early  potatoes,  peas,  and  beans,  and 
have  currant  bushes !  But  I'm  dying  to  see  the 
house ;  do  let  us  go  in ;  what  a  nice  doorstep 
this  is ! " 

As  they  opened  the  door  and  went  in,  Uncle 
Isaac  watched  Sally's  face  in  vain  to  detect  any 
trace  of  disappointment  or  sorrow. 

She  is  fire-proof,  just  like  her  grandmother, 
thought  he. 

"  I  supposed  log  houses  were  stuffed  between  the 
logs  with  clay  and  moss ;  mother  said  so ;  but  I 
couldn't  put  the  point  of  my  scissors  between 
these  logs." 

"  So  they  were,"  said  he ;  "  but  this  is  an  im 
proved  one.  Ben  means,  when  he  is  able,  to  make 
this  room  into  two,  and  have  a  fireplace  in  each ; 
and  a  couple  of  nice  rooms  they  will  make." 

"  I  am  glad  he  didn't  do  any  more.  Now,  I  want 
to  see  the  kitchen ;  I  care  the  most  about  that. 
This  is  a  splendid  one ;  what  nice  dressers  and 
drawers !  but  where  is  the  oven  ?  Why,  it's  stone ; 
ain't  it  a  beauty ;  how  smooth  it  is ! "  said  she,  put 
ting  in  her  head  and  shoulders,  and  feeling  all 


168  LION   BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

around  it  with  her  hands.  "  I  don't  see  how  folks 
can  make  such  nice  things  of  stone.  I  wish  we 
had  a  candle." 

She  was,  if  possible,  more  delighted  with  the 
chamber  than  anything  else. 

"  How  high  it  is  ! "  she  said  ;  "  what  a  capital 
place  this  would  be  to  spin  and  weave  in !  Well, 
now  I've  seen  the  whole." 

"  No,  you  haven't ; "  and  here  he  opened  the  door 
in  the  side  of  the  chimney,  and  let  her  look  in. 

"Why,  what  in  the  world  is  this  for?" 

"  This  is  a  smoke-house  ;  you  see  it's  on  one  side 
of  the  chimney,  so  that  there  won't  be  heat  enough 
go  in  there  to  melt  the  hams  or  fish.  All  you  have 
to  do,  when  you  want  to  smoke  anything,  is  to 
hang  it  up  on  these  lug-poles,  and  the  common  fire 
you  have  every  day  will  smoke  it.  It'll  be  a  nice 
place  for  Ben,  when  he  has  an  ox-yoke,  wooden 
bowl,  or  shovel  to  season  or  toughen.  Now  I  want 
you  to  see  the  cellar." 

He  pulled  from  his  pocket  a  horn  filled  with 
tinder,  and  striking  a  spark  into  it  with  a  flint  and 
steel,  kindled  a  piece  of  pitch-wood,  and  they  went 
down. 

"  O,  my  !  if  here  isn't  an  arch  ;  what  a  nice  place 
that  will  be  to  keep  my  milk,  when  I  get  it." 


UNCLE    ISAAC    ASTONISHED.  169 

"  Now  we've  got  a  light,  let's  look  into  the  oven." 

"  I  know  that  oven  will  bake  well,"  said  Sally  ; 
"  it  looks  as  though  it  would.  Now,  I  think  this  is  a 
real  nice  place,  and  that  Ben  has  made  a  good 
trade  ;  and,  if  we  have  our  health,  we  can  pay  for 
it  well  enough.  Only  think  how  much  we've  saved 
by  living  in  this  house,  which  is  good  enough  for 
young  folks  just  beginning,  and  better  than  many 
have.  Why,  it  ain't  a  month  since  the  trees  were 
growing,  and  now  it's  all  done.  Didn't  he  make  a 
good  trade,  Uncle  Isaac  ?  " 

"  He  made  a  better  one  when  he  got  you,  you 
little  humming-bird,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  who  was 
brim  full,  and  could  no  longer  restrain  himself;  pat 
ting  her  on  the  head,  "  you  would  suck  honey  out 
of  a  rock." 

"  I'm  much  obliged  to  you,  you  good  old  man. 
I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do  (that  is,  when  we  are 
able) ;  you  shall  come  over  here  with  Aunt  Han 
nah,  and  bring  all  your  tools,  and  we'll  part  off  the 
front  rooms,  and  have  a  front  entry,  ceil  up  the 
kitchen,  have  Uncle  Sam  to  build  fireplaces  in 
the  front  rooms,  and  Joe  Griffin  to  make  fun  for  us. 
I'll  make  you  some  of  those  three-cornered  biscuit 
and  custard  puddings  you  like  so  well.  In  the 
evenings  we'll  have  a  roaring  lire ;  you  can  tell 


170  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

stories,  and  we  will  sit  and  listen,  and  knit.  Ben 
says  this  is  the  greatest  place  for  gunning  that  ever 
was ;  and  you  can  bring  on  your  float  and  gun,  and 
you  and  Uncle  Sam  can  gun  to  your  heart's  con 
tent.  Ain't  I  building  castles  in  the  air  ? "  cried 
Sally,  with  another  laugh,  that  made  the  house 
ring  ;  "  but  we  must  go  off,  or  we  shall  be  caught." 

A  little  breeze  had  sprung  up,  and  Uncle  Isaac 
putting  up  a  bush  for  a  sail,  they  landed  on  the 
other  side  without  detection. 

He  said  he  never  wanted  to  tell  anything  so 
much  in  his  life,  as  he  did  to  tell  Ben  how  much 
Sally  was  delighted  with  the  island ;  but  he  reso 
lutely  kept  it  to  himself. 

As  it  would  be  difficult  getting  off  in  the  winter, 
Ben  carried  on  provisions,  hay  for  a  cow,  and  for 
oxen  that  he  might  get  occasionally.  He  put  the 
hay  in  a  stack  out  of  doors.  He  bought  the  hay 
of  Joe  Griffin's  father,  and  Joe  was  to  deliver  it  on 
the  island.  Being  disappointed  in  respect  to  the 
man  who  was  engaged  to  help  him,  he  took  old 
Uncle  Sam  Yelf,  as  better  than  nobody.  There 
was  a  long  easterly  swell ;  the  scow  rolled  a  good 
deal,  and,  the  hay  hanging  over  the  side  and  get 
ting  wet,  she  began  to  fill.  At  some  distance  from 
them  Sydney  Chase  and  Sam  Hadlock  were  fishing. 


UNCLE    ISAAC    ASTONISHED.  171 

«  Shall  I  holler,  Mr.  Griffin?"  said  Yelf,  who  was 
terribly  frightened,  and  had  a  tremendous  voice. 

«  Yes." 

"What  shall  I  holler?" 

«  Holler  fire." 

«  Fire  !  fire  !  fire  ! "  screamed  Yelf. 

As  their  neighbors  rowed  up,  they  could  not 
help  laughing  to  see  two  men  up  to  their  waists  in 
water,  and  one  of  them  crying  fire. 

"I  thought,"  said  the  old  man,  "I'd  holler  what 
I  could  holler  the  loudest." 


172  LION  BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THEY  MAKRY,  AND  GO  ON  TO  THE  ISLAND. 

THE  wedding  was  at  the  widow  Hadlock's ;  but 

Captain  Rhines  made  the  infare,  as  'twas  called, 

which  was  an  entertainment  given  the  clay  after 
the  wedding  at  the  house  of  the  bridegroom.  To 
this  were  invited  all  who  had  aided  in  building  the 
house,  including  the  girls  who  prepared  the  victuals; 
and  a  merry  time  they  had  of  it. 

It  was  very  hard  for  Sally  and  her  mother  to 
part.  Since  the  death  of  her  father,  and  while 
the  other  children  were  small,  Sally  had  been  her 
mother's  great  dependence ;  and,  as  they  came  to 
the  edge  of  the  water,  the  widow  lifted  up  her 
voice  and  wept. 

Sally,  with  her  eyes  full,  strove  to  comfort  her 
mother. 

"  Well,  I  ought  not  to  feel  so,  I  know ;  but  it 
sort  o'  brings  up  everything,  and  tears  open  all  the 
old  wounds.  May  God  bless  you !  you've  been  a 
good  child  to  me  in  all  my  trials,  and,  I  doubt  not, 


THEY    MAEKY,    AND    GO    ON    TO    THE    ISLAND.       173 

you'll  make  a  good  wife.  There's  a  blessing  prom 
ised  in  the  Scriptures  to  those  who  are  dutiful  to 
their  parents.  Keep  the  Lord's  day,  Sally,  as 
you've  been  taught  to  do,  and  seek  the  one  thing 
needful." 

Ben  had  chosen  a  sunny,  calm  morning,  that  the 
impressions  made  upon  Sally's  mind  might  be  as 
pleasant  as  possible,  not  dreaming  that  she  had  al 
ready  visited  the  island,  and  been  all  over  the 
house.  Nevertheless,  as  he  sat  down  to  the  oars, 
his  old  fears  began  somewhat  to  revive  ;  but  Prov 
idence  ordered  matters  in  a  much  better  manner 
than  he  could  have  done,  to  render  Sally's  first 
impressions  of  the  island  both  pleasant  and  per 
manent. 

When  he  left  it  the  last  time,  knowing  that  Sally 
would  return  with  him,  he  had  crammed  the  great 
fireplace  with  dry  wood,  and  pushed  under  the  fore- 
stick  the  top  of  a  dry  fir,  with  the  leaves  all  on,  and 
covered  with  cones  full  of  balsam.  They  were  well 
on  their  way  when  a  black  cloud  rose  suddenly 
from  the  north-west,  denoting  that  the  wind,  which 
had  been  south  for  some  days,  was  about  to  shift, 
with  a  squall. 

"  We  are  two  thirds  over  now,"  said  Ben  ;  "  we 
shall  be  head  to  the  sea,  and  soon  get  under 


174  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

the  lee  of  the  island  ;  'tis  better  to  go  ahead  than 
to  go  back." 

"  I  wish  we  were  there  now,"  said  Sally  to  her 
self,  as  she  thought  of  that  sheltered  spot  behind 
the  thick  woods,  that  no  wind  could  get  through. 

"  Sit  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  Sally  ;  if 
the  water  flies  over  you,  don't  move." 

When  the  squall  struck,  the  wind  seemed  to 
shriek  right  out,  and  in  an  instant  raised  a  furious 
sea,  drenching  them  with  water  from  head  to  foot. 
Sally  uttered  not  a  word,  but  sat  perfectly  still, 
though  the  cold  spray  flew  over  and  ran  under  her, 
wetting  her  through  and  through. 

The  little  boat,  managed  with  consummate  skill 
and  strength,  rode  the  sea  like  an  egg-shell.  It 
began  to  grow  smoother  as  they  approached  the 
high  woods  on  the  island,  when  Ben,  exerting  his 
strength,  drove  her  through  the  water,  and  they 
were  soon  at  the  mouth  of  the  brook,  where  it  was 
as  smooth  as  a  mill-pond.  Jumping  out,  he  dragged 
the  canoe  fr6m  the  water,  and,  taking  Sally  out, 
stood  her,  all  dripping,  on  the  beach. 

"  What  a  calm  place,"  she  exclaimed,  "  after  that 
dreadful  sea !  O,  you  wicked  Ben,  how  could  you 
tell  me  'twas  such  an  awful  place  ?  " 

"  You're  shaking  with  the  cold ;  let's  go  where 


THEY    MARRY,    AND    GO    ON    TO    THE    ISLAND.       175 

there's  a  fire ;"  and  catching  her  up,  he  ran  into  the 
house  with  her ;  then  striking  fire,  he  lighted  the 
fir  top  under  the  forestick ;  in  an  instant  the  bright 
flame  flashed  through  the  pile  of  wood,  and  roared 
up  the  chimney,  diffusing  a  cheerful  warmth  through 
the  room.  Ben  pulled  up  the  great  settle ;  Sally 
stretched  herself  upon  it,  her  wet  garments  smok 
ing  in  the  heat. 

"  Isn't  this  nice  ?  "  she  said,  as,  safe  from  danger, 
she  basked  in  the  warm  blaze.  I  shall  always  love 
this  great  fireplace  after  this,  as  long  as  I  live." 

Ben  was  delighted.  He  knew  by  experience  the 
power  of  strong  contrasts,  —  for  the  whole  life  of  a 
seaman  is  made  up  of  them,  —  and  that  nothing 
could  have  made  the  island  seem  so  much  like 
home  to  Sally,  as  there  finding  safety  when  in  dan 
ger,  and  warmth  when  shivering  with  cold. 

They  now  went  over  the  house  together ;  and 
Sally  made  Ben  completely  happy  by  telling  him 
she  would  have  been  thankful  for  a  house  not  half 
so  good.  We  see  in  this  well-matdhed  and  hardy 
pair  the  representatives  of  those  who  laid  broad 
and  deep  the  foundations  of  our  free  institutions, 
and  whose  strength  was  in  their  homes. 

They  flung  themselves  with  alacrity  upon  these 
hardships,  which  were  to  procure  for  them  a  heri- 


176  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

tage  of  their  own,  —  the  product  of  their  own  ener 
gies, —  confident  in  their  own  resources,  and  the 
protection  of  that  Being  whom  they  had  been 
educated  to  believe  helps  those  who  help  them 
selves. 

They  were  now  on  an  island,  in  the  stormy  At 
lantic,  six  miles  from  the  nearest  land,  which,  with 
the  exception  of  a  little  strip  of  grass  along  the 
beach,  was  an  unbroken  forest. 

Here  they  had  commenced  married  life,  in  the 
face  of  a  long,  hard  winter. 

It  may  seem  to  many  of  our  readers  idle  to  talk 
about  happiness  in  relation  to  people  in  such  cir 
cumstances.  They,  perhaps  judging  from  their 
own  feelings,  wonder  how  they  could  pass  their 
time. 

In  the  first  place,  they  had  health  and  strength, 
were  not  troubled  with  dyspepsia,  and  hence  did 
not  look  at  life  through  green  spectacles.  They 
took  pride  in  overcoming  obstacles,  and  feeling 
that  they  were  equal  to  the  emergency.  They  had 
plenty  to  do  from  the  time  they  rose  in  the  morn 
ing  till  they  went  to  bed  at  night ;  not  a  moment 
to  brood  over  and  dread  difficulties ;  and  a  June 
day  was  too  short  for  all  they  found  to  do  in  it. 
Finally,  they  loved  each  other,  had  an  object  to 


THEY    MARRY,    AND    GO    ON    TO    THE    ISLAND.       177 

look  forward  to,  had  never  known  any  of  those 
things  which  are  considered  by  many  as  necessary 
to  happiness,  and  thus  neither  pined  after  nor 
missed  them. 

Sally  had  plenty  of  bed-clothes,  which  she  had 
made  herself;  also  beautiful  table-cloths  and  towels 
of  linen,  figured,  that  she  had  spun,  woven,  and 
bleached ;  and  tow  towels,  coarse  sheets,  and  table 
cloths  for  every  day.  One  little  looking-glass,  about 
six  inches  by  eight  in  size,  graced  the  wall,  with  a 
comb-case,  made  of  pasteboard,  hanging  below  it. 
They  had  one  really  beautiful  piece  of  furniture, 
which  her  father  had  brought  from  England  —  a 
mahogany  secretary,  with  book-cases  and  drawers, 
and  inlaid  with  different  kinds  of  wood,  contrast 
ing  strangely  with  the  rough  logs  against  which  it 
rested.  They  had  chairs  with  round  posts,  and  bot 
toms  made  of  ash-splints ;  mugs,  bowls,  a  tea-pot, 
and  pitchers  of  earthen  ware ;  and  pewter  plates, 
from  the  largest  platter  to  the  smallest  dishes  and 
porringers ;  also  an  iron  skillet.  Ben  had  a  shoe 
maker's  bench,  awls  and  lasts,  and  quite  a  good  set 
of  carpenter's  tools. 

Sally  now  put  all  the  earthen  and  new  pewter 
ware  upon  the  dressers,  which  made  quite  a  show. 

"  I  declare,  Ben,  I've  forgotten  my  candle-moulds, 
12 


178  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

and  we've  got  no  light.  Here's  a  lamp,  but  not  a 
drop  of  oil  or  wick  in  it." 

"  I'll  shoot  a  seal,  —  I  saw  three  or  four  on  the 
White  Bull  when  we  came  over,  —  then  to-morrow 
you  can  try  out  the  blubber." 

Ben  was  better  than  his  word,  for  before  night 
he  shot  two. 

There  was  one  piece  of  property  that  Sally  valued 
more  than  anything  else,  because  'twas  alive,  and 
there  was  such  a  look  of  home  about  it. 

The  widow  Hadlock  had  a  line-backed  cow,  that 
gave  a  great  mess  of  milk.  Sally  had  milked  her 
ever  since  she  was  large  enough  to  milk ;  indeed, 
she  milked  her  that  memorable  night  when  Ben 
and  Sam  Johnson  went  blueberrying  in  the  widow's 
parlor. 

They  raised  a  calf  from  her,  Avhich  was  marked 
just  like  the  old  cow,  and  Mrs.  Hadlock  had  given 
it  to  Sally.  The  creature,  having  been  brought  up 
with  a  large  stock  of  cattle,  missing  her  mates,  had 
been  very  lonesome  on  the  island,  and  roared  and 
moaned  a  great  deal.  As  Sally  opened  the  door  to 
throw  out  some  water,  the  heifer  came  on  the  gal 
lop,  and,  putting  her  feet  on  the  door-stone,  rubbed 
her  nose  against  Sally's  shoulder,  and  licked  her 
face.  The  tears  came  into  Sally's  eyes  in  a  moment. 


THEY    MAEKY,    AND    GO    OX    TO    THE    ISLAND.       179 

"  You  good  old  soul,"  said  she,  putting  her  arms 
round  her  neck,  —  half  a  mind  to  kiss  her,  —  "  do 
you  know  me,  and  were  you  glad  to  see  me  ?  I 
wish  I  had  an  ear  of  corn  to  give  you." 

After  this  the  cow  made  no  more  ado,  but  went 
to  feeding,  perfectly  contented  with  the  knowledge 
that  her  old  mistress  was  present.  As  night  came 
on,  Sally  made  the  discovery  that  they  had  no  milk- 
pail ;  but  Ben  was  equal  to  the  emergency:  he 
cut  down  a  maple,  cut  a  trough  in  it,  drove  the 
cow  astride  of  it,  while  Sally  milked  her  into  this 
novel  pail.  That  evening  Ben  dug  out  a  pine  log, 
put  a  bottom  in  it,  and  a  bail,  then  drove  two  hoops 
on  it,  and  made  a  milk-pail. 

The  next  clay  Sally  tried  out  the  seals,  while 
Ben  went  into  the  swamp  and  got  some  cooper's 
flags,  which  he  cut  into  short  pieces,  for  lamp- 
wicks. 

Fowling,  for  a  person  in  Ben's  situation,  was  not 
merely  a  source  of  pleasure,  but  of  profit,  as  the 
feathers  sold  readily  for  cash,  the  bodies  were  good 
for  food,  and  could  be  exchanged  at  the  store  for 
groceries,  or  with  the  farmers  for  wool  and  flax, 
which  Sally  made  into  cloth. 

Ben  had  a  little  yellow  dog,  with  white  on  the 
end  of  his  tail,  that  would  play.  Sei-fowl  possess 


180  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

a  great  share  of  curiosity,  which  leads  them  to 
swim  up  to  anything  strange,  in  order  to  see  what 
it  is.  They  would  often  swim  in  to  a  squirrel,  play 
ing  in  the  bushes  at  the  water's  edge,  to  see  what 
he's  about.  The  gunners  take  advantage  of  this 
trait  in  their  character;  they  teach  a  little  dog  to 
•play  with  a  stone  on  the  beach :  he'll  roll  it  along 
the  ground,  stand  up  on  his  hind  legs  with  it  in  his 
fore  paws,  and  when  he  gets  tired  of  it,  his  mas- 
ter'll  throw  him  another  from  his  ambush.  The 
birds  swim  in  to  see  what  he  is  doing,  and  are 
killed,  and  the  little  dog  swims  off  and  brings  them 
ashore.  All  dogs  cannot  be  taught  this,  only  those 
who  have  a  genius  for  it. 

Tige  Rhines  would  pick  up  birds  right  in  the 
surf,  or  in  the  dead  of  winter,  but  could  never  be 
taught  to  play  ;  he  was  too  dignified. 

It  is  impossible  for  one  destitute  of  a  taste  for 
fowling  to  conceive  of  the  intensity  which  the  pas 
sion  will  acquire  by  indulgence.  Ben  was  so  eager 
for  birds,  that  he  would  lie  on  a  ledge  till  Sailor 
froze  his  ears  and  tail.  There  were  a  great  many 
minks  on  the  island,  whose  furs  were  valuable : 
these  Sailor  would  track  to  their  holes,  when  Ben 
would  smoke  them  out. 

The  widow  Hadlock  had  brought  up  her  family 


THEY    MARRY,    AND    GO    ON    TO    THE    ISLAND.       181 

to  cherish  a  great  reverence  for  the  Lord's  day. 
Ben  had  been  trained  by  his  mother  in  the  same 
way ;  but,  after  leaving  home,  he,  like  most  sea 
faring  men,  carried  a  traveller's  conscience,  and  did 
many  things  on  that  day  which  would  not  have 
met  her  approval. 

One  Sabbath  morning  a  whole  flock  of  coots 
swam  into  the  mouth  of  the  brook  to  drink ;  'twas 
a  superb  chance  for  a  shot.  Ben,  without  a  mo 
ment's  hesitation,  took  down  his  gun  from  the 
hook,  and  was  just  going  out  the  dooi>  when  Sally 
laid  her  liand  on  his  arm. 

"  Ben,  where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"To  shoot  those  coots;  I  never  saw  such  a 
chance  for  a  shot  in  my  life.  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  I  could  knock  over  twenty  with  this  big  gun." 

"  Why,  Ben,  you  must  be  out  of  your  head ;  do 
you  know  what  day  'tis  ?  would  you  go  gunning 
on  the  Lord's  day  ?  " 

"  No,  I  wouldn't  (jo  a-gunning ;  but  when  they 
come  right  in  under  my  nose,  asking  to  be  shot,  I'd 
shoot  them." 

"  Well,  I  never  would  begin  by  breaking  the 
Lord's  day ;  'tis  not  right,  and  we  shall  not  pros 
per  ;  if  we've  not  much  else,  let  us,  at  least,  have  a 
clear  conscience.  What  do  you  think  your  father 


182  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

and  mother  would  say,  if  they  heard  you  had  fired 
a  gun  on  the  Lord's  day  ?  " 

"  It  wouldn't  trouble  father  much  ;  he  would  do 
the  same  himself;  but  'twould  mother,  and  I  see  it 
does  you." 

He  took  his  ramrod,  and  thumped  on  the  side  of 
the  house  ;  the  coots  took  to  flight  in  an  instant. 

"  There  goes  the  temptation,"  said  he.  "  I  didn't 
know  before  that  you  was  a  professor  of  religion." 

"  No  more  I  ain't,  nor  a  possessor  either ;  wish  I 
was ;  but  I  jnean  to  keep  the  Lord's  day ;  I'll  do 
that  much,  any  way." 

"  I  know  you're  right,  Sally  ;  but  you  must  make 
some  allowance  for  a  feller  who  has  been  so  long  at 
sea,  and  couldn't  keep  it,  if  he  would,  as  people  can 
ashore.  Suppose  a  hawk  was  carrying  off  a  chicken 
on  the  Habbath —  wouldn't  you  let  me  shoot  it?" 

"  No,  I'm  sure  I  wouldn't ;  but  if  an  eagle  was 
carrying  off  a  baby,  I  would." 

This  was  the  first  and  only  time  Ben  ever  took 
the  gun  down  on  the  Sabbath.  They  made  it  a 
day  of  rest. 

They  had  some  good  books,  and  one  Sally's 
mother  had  given  her,  which  she  was  very  fond  of 
reading,  called  "Hooks  and  Eyes  for  Christian's 
Breeches."  It  was  a  queer  title,  but  a  very  good 


THEY    MARRY,    AND    GO    ON    TO    THE    ISLAND.       183 

book.  In  those  days  people  did  not  wear  suspend 
ers,  but  kept  their  breeches  up  by  buttoning  the 
waistband,  or  by  a  belt.  Where  people  were  well- 
formed,  and  had  good  hips,  they  would  keep  up 
very  well ;  but  when  they  were  all  the  way  of  a 
bigness,  or  were  careless  and  didn't  button  their 
waistbands  tight,  they  would  slip  down  ;  so  some 
had  hooks  and  eyes  to  keep  them  up,  and  pre 
vent  this  by  hooking  them  to  the  waistcoat.  _Thu8 
this  book  was  designed  for  those  slouching,  care 
less  Christians  who  needed  hooks  and  eyes  to  their 
breeches,  and  were  slack  in  their  religious  duties. 


184  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    BEIDAL    CALL. 

PARENTS  and  friends  of  the  new-married  pair 
had  watched  with  no  small  anxiety  their  progress 
through  the  squall.  During  the  height  of  it,  they 
could  see  the  canoe  when  it  rose  upon  the  top  of  a 
wave ;  as  it  disappeared  in  a  trough  of  the  sea,  the 
widow  clasped  her  hands  convulsively,  and  gave 
them  up  for  lost. 

"  They  are  safe,"  cried  Captain  Rhines,  drawing 
a  long  breath  ;  "  they've  got  under  the  lee  of  the 
island.  John,  run  to  the  house  and  get  my  spy 
glass." 

With  the  aid  of  the  glass  he  saw  them  land,  and 
Ben  carry  Sally  to  the  house  in  his  arms. 

"  She's  fainted  with  fright,  poor  thing ;  it's  a 
rough  beginning  for  her,"  said  the  widow. 

"  He  only  wants  to  get  her  to  the  fire ;  there's 
nothing  the  matter  with  her  but  a  good  soaking." 

'Twas  now  the  Indian  summer,  with  calm  moon 
light  nights. 


THE    BRIDAL    CALL.  185 

«  Wife,"  said  Captain  Rbines,  "  I  expect  Sally's 
mother  is  dying  to  know  how  she  got  on  the  island 
that  morning.  If  we  don't  go  now,  we  shan't  be 
able  to  go  this  winter ;  it'll  be  too  rough  by  and 
by.  John,  run  over  there,  and  ask  her  if  she  would 
like  to  go  and  see  Sally." 

"  Can  I  go,  too,  father  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  want  you  to  help  row ;  so  do  your 
chores,  tie  up  the  cattle,  and  bear  a  hand  about  it." 

Sally  had  washed  her  supper  dishes,  and  Ben 
was  pulling  off  his  boots,  when  the  door  was 
opened,  and  in  walked  the  party.  It  was  a  most 
joyful  surprise  to  the  new-married  couple. 

"  Why,  mother  ! "  exclaimed  Sally,  kissing  her 
again  and  again ;  "  I  was  thinking  the  other  day 
whether  you  would  ever  venture  to  come  on  to 
this  island  ;  and  now  you're  here  so  soon,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  year,  too  !  " 

"  Indeed,  Sally,  you  know  I  never  lacked  for 
courage,  only  for  strength.  You  must  needs  think 
I  had  a  strong  motive." 

But,  of  all  the  group,  none  seemed  more  de 
lighted  than  John.  He  stared  at  the  log  walls, 
looked  up  the  chimney,  capered  round  the  room 
with  Sailor,  and  finally  getting  up  in  Ben's  lap,  put 
both  arms  round  his  neck,  and*fairly  cried  for  joy. 


186  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"  How  should  you  like  to  live  on  here,  Johnnie  ?  " 
said  Ben. 

"  O,  shouldn't  I  like  it !  you'd  better  believe." 

"  I  shot  two  seals  the  other  day,  on  the  White 
Bull ;  and  within  a  week  I've  killed  fifty  birds,  of 
all  kinds." 

"  Won't  you  ask  father  to  let  me  come  on  and 
stay  a  little  while,  and  go  gunning  ?  O,  I  do  miss 
you  so ! " 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  there  were  ducks  now 
feeding  on  the  flats ;  take  my  gun  ;  she's  all  loaded." 

The  moment  Sailor  saw  the  gun  taken  down,  he 
was  all  ready :  so  perfectly  was  he  trained,  that 
when  it  was  not  desirable  he  should  play,  he  would 
lie  still  till  the  gun  was  fired,  and  then  bring  in  the 
game. 

"  How  I  should  like  to  be  on  here  in  the  day 
time  ! "  said  John.  "  Do  you  know,  Ben,  I  was  never 
here  in  all  my  life  before  ?  " 

"Why,  Sally,"  said  her  mother,  "how  did  you 
get  over  in  that  dreadful  squall  ?  We  were  all 
watching  you,  and  felt  so  worried!  Wasn't  you 
frightened  almost  to  death  ?  " 

"  No,  mother,  I  wasn't  much  frightened ;  but  I 
was  terrible  cold,  and  wet  all  through.  I  never 
saw  anything  look  *so  good,  in  all  my  life,  as  this 


THE    BRIDAL    CALL.  187 

great  fireplace  did,  for  Ben  made  a  roaring  fire  in 
it ;  and  I'm  just  as  happy  and  contented  as  I 
can  be." 

In  the  midst  of  this  conversation  the  door 
opened,  and  in  walked  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  It  was  such  a  pleasant  night,"  said  he,  address 
ing  the  captain,  "  I  told  Hannah  we'd  take  a  run 
down  to  your  house ;  and  when  I  found  you'd  come 
over  here,  I  thought  I'd  take  your  gunning  float 
and  follow  suit." 

"  Why  didn't  you  bring  Hannah  with  you  ? " 
inquired  Sally. 

"  Well,  I  wanted  to ;  but  she  ain't  much  of  a 
water-fowl,  and  was  afraid  to  come  in  a  tittlish 
gunning  float,  and  said  she'd  stay  and  visit  Captain 
Rhines]s  girls  ;  but  she  sends  her  love  to  you,  and 
says  if  she'd  known  I  was  coming,  she'd  sent  you 
over  a  bag  of  apples." 

"  How  this  does  cany  a  body  back ! "  said  the 
widow  ;  "  it  don't  seem  but  t'other  day  since  I  was 
living  in  a  log  house;  and  how  much  I've  been 
through  since  then  ! " 

They  then  went  all  over  the  house,  and  down 
cellar. 

"  Well,  Isaac,"  said  Captain  Rhines,  "  you've  done 
yourself  credit  in  building  this  house ;  I  knew  you 


188  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

would.  'Tisn't  much  like  the  house  I  was  born  in ; 
that  wasn't  tighter  than  a  wharf,  except  while  it  was 
stuffed  with  moss  and  clay ;  and  some  of  that  was 
always  falling  out.  I've  gone  to  bed  many  a  night, 
and  waked  up  in  a  snow  drift,  because  the  wind 
had  blown  the  clay  out,  and  the  snow  in ;  but  I 
thought,  when  I  was  coming  up  from  the  shore,  and 
saw  it  standing  here  in  the  moonlight,  that  it  was 
as  much  like  the  one  father  built,  after  his  boys  got 
big  enough  to  be  of  some  help  to  him,  as  two  peas 
in  a  pod :  just  as  many  windows,  just  as  high,  and 
with  a  bark  roof;  but  it  ain't  much  like  it  other- 
ways  ;  for  the  timber  wan't  hewed  —  only  the  bark 
and  knots  taken  off  where  it  came  together-;  but 
this  is  as  tight  as  a  churn.  And  then  that  fire 
place  ;  I  wouldn't  believed  it  possible." 

"Well,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "I  did  the  best  I 
could ;  but  I  think  Sam  beat  the  whole  of  us.  I 
should  be  glad  to  swap  my  fireplace  and  chimney 
for  that,  and  give  a  yoke  of  oxen  to  boot." 

"  Do  you  know,  Isaac,  there's  nothing  carries  me 
back  to  my  boy  days  like  that  old  chamber?  It's 
the  very  image  of  ours ;  it  seems  to  me  as  if  I  was 
setting  there  now,  on  a  rainy  day,  astraddle  of  a 
tub,  shelling  corn  on  the  handle  of  mother's  frying- 
pan,  with  my  thoughts  running  all  over  the  world, 


THE    BRIDAL    CALL.  189 

longing  to  go  to  sea,  and  contriving  how  I  should 
get  father's  consent." 

A  loud  mewing  was  now  heard  in  the  corner  of 
the  room. 

"I  declare  to  man,"  said  the  widow,  "I've  been 
so  taken  up  with  old  times,  I  forgot.  See  here, 
Sally,"  —  opening  her  basket  and  taking  out  a  kit 
ten,  —  "I  thought  she'd  be  company  for  you.  You 
know  them  speckled  chickens,  Sally,  that  the  old 
top-knot  hen  hatched  out." 

"  Yes,  mother." 

"  Well,  the  hawks  carried  off  three  of  'em ;  and 
I  meant  to  brought  the  rest  over  to  you,  but  Sam 
said  they  wouldn't  lay  much  this  winter;  you'd 
have  to  buy  corn,  and  you'd  better  have  'em  in  the 
spring.  But  I've  brought  you  over  a  pillow-case 
full  of  flax." 

"  I,"  said  Mrs.  Rhines,  "  brought  you  over  some 
wool." 

"  And  I,"  said  Captain  Rhines,  "  a  barrel  of  cider 
and  some  vegetables,  to  go  with  your  coots  and 
salt  beef." 

"  While  I,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  am  all  the  one 
that's  come  empty-handed ;  but  I  know  what  I'll 
do ;  I'll  give  you  a  pig,  and  Ben  can  get  him  next 
time  he  comes  off." 


190  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

John  now  came  in,  bringing  five  ducks,  that  he 
had  shot. 

"  He's  just  like  the  rest  of  us,  Ben,"  said  his 
father :  "  I  believe  it  runs  in  the  breed  of  us  to 
shoot." 

"  Let  him  come  over  here,  and  stay  a  day  or  two, 
and  gun  with  me." 

"  He's  too  good  a  boy,"  —  patting  him  fondly  on 
the  head;  —  "I  couldn't  get  along  without  him." 

"  That  is  just  the  reason,"  said  his  mother,  "that 
he  ought  to  be  gratified  once  in  a  while.  It's  a 
great  deal  better  he  should  be  here  with  Ben,  than 
with  some  of  the  boys  he  goes  with  ;  I  should  feel 
much  easier  about  him  than  I  do  when  he's  with 
them  in  boats,  and  gunning.  I'm  always  afraid 
they'll  shoot  one  another,  or  be  drowned." 

"  Well,  it's  just  as  his  mother  says ;  I'm  at  home 
so  little,  I  don't  interfere  with  her  concerns ;  she's 
cap'n ;  I'm  only  passenger." 

"  But  you're  going  to  be  at  home  all  the  time 
now ;  and  I  should  like  to  give  up  my  authority." 

"  By  the  way,  Ben,  I've  had  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Welch ;  he  says  large,  handsome  masts,  bowsprits, 
and  spars  are  in  great  demand ;  that  he  can  find  a 
market  in  Boston  and  Salem,  in  the  spring,  for  all 
you  can  send  him." 


THE    BRIDAL    CALL.  191 

"  I'm  going  to  cut  small  spars  directly,  father ; 
but  I  want  snow  to  fall  the  large  ones  on,  else  I 
shall  have  to  bed  them  with  brush,  for  fear  of 
breaking  them." 

"  He  says  that  the  war  in  Europe  is  throwing  all 
the  carrying  trade  into  the  hands  of  neutrals  ;  that 
now  we've  got  our  government  going,  it'll  be  snap 
ping  times ;  and  that  while  they're  all  fighting  like 
dogs  over  a  bone,  we  can  run  off  with  the  bone ; 
and  if  I  want  to  try  a  voyage,  he  has  a  vessel 
for  me." 

"  Well,  you're  not  going,"  said  his  wife  ;  "  you've 
been  enough,  and  you've  done  enough.  If  Ben 
could  afford  to  give  up  going  to  sea,  in  the  prime 
of  life,  for  the  sake  of  Sally,  I'm  sure  you  can,  in 
your  old  age,  for  the  sake  of  Betsey ;  and  you  be 
long  to  me  for  the  rest  of  your  life." 

"  Old  ! "  said  the  captain,  dancing  over  the  room ; 
"  I  don't  feel  a  bit  old.  I  should  like  a  little  cash, 
just  to  fix  up  the  buildings  a  little,  buy  that  timber 
lot  that  joins  the  rye  field;  and  then"  —  with  a 
comical  look  at  his  wife  —  "I  should  like  to  do  a 
little  more  for  the  minister.  I  should  be  so  thank 
ful,  sometimes,  if  somebody  would  come  in  that 
could  talk  about  anything  else  than  some  old  horse, 
or  cow,  or  sheep  that's  got  the  mulligrubs ! " 


192  LION   BEN   OP   ELM   ISLAND. 

"  Father,"  said  John,  as  they  were  preparing  to 
go,  "  why  can't  I  stay  now  ?  " 

"  Because,  child,  I  want  you  to  help  me  row." 

"  Let  him  stay,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  who,  from  in 
stinct,  always  took  the  part  of  the  boys;  "I'll  go 
OA^er  with  you." 

"  But  there's  my  float  over  here,  and  I  want  to 
go  gunning  to-morrow." 

"  We'll  take  her  in  tow,"  said  Uncle  Isaac. 

With  mutual  good  wishes  they  now  separated, 
leaving  John  in  high  glee  at  the  result,  with  Ben, 
for  a  visit. 


AN    UNGRATEFUL    BOY.  193 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AN   UNGRATEFUL   BOY. 

IT  may  seem  very  singular  to  some  of  our  read 
ers,  that  Captain  Rhines,  whom  we  have  spoken  of 
as  having  a  strong  attachment  to  the  soil,  should 
express  a  willingness  so  soon  to  leave  it.  But  this 
will  not  seem  at  all  remarkable  to  any  seafaring 
man  whose  eye  may  chance  to  glance  over  our 
pages. 

He  had  in  early  years  been  prevented  from  grat 
ifying  this  inclination.  On  the  other  hand,  his  life 
from  boyhood  had  been  spent  at  sea,  in  company 
with  seafaring  men,  and  amid  excitement  and 
peril.  The  habits  of  years  are  not  easily  to  be 
overcome ;  and  as  age  had  made  no  impression 
upon  his  iron  constitution,  after  being  at  home  a 
few  months,  an  almost  irresistible  longing  came 
over  him,  at  times,  to  be  once  more  among  the  very 
perils  he  had  so  congratulated  himself  upon  having 
escaped,  and  to  hear  some  talk  except  about  barley 
and  butter. 

13 


194  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

He  also,  the  moment  he  came  home,  began  to 
make  improvements  —  as  he  said,  made  things  look 
li  ship-shape."  But  this  required  money,  and  he 
missed  the  cash  he  was  accustomed  to  receive  at 
the  end  of  a  voyage  ;  besides,  a  trip  to  the  West 
Indies  seemed  to  the  old  sailor  as  mere  recreation, 
which  would  enable  him  to  carry  out  some  of  his 
farm  produce  as  a  venture,  and  get  his  sugar, 
molasses,  coffee,  and  rum.  Had  he  abandoned 
the  sea  at  Ben's  age,  before  its  habits  had  ripened 
into  a  second  nature,  it  would  have  been  another 
matter. 

John  remained  on  the  island  a  week.  On  his 
return  he  received  a  warm  welcome  from  Tige, 
who  met  him  at  the  shore,  and  almost  wagged 
his  tail  off,  he  was  so  glad  to  see  him.  He 
had  been  perfectly  miserable  without  John,  for 
they  were  inseparable  companions.  Not  know 
ing  how  otherwise  to  express  his  joy,  he  began 
to  take  up  sticks  in  his  mouth,  and  run  about 
with  them. 

"Here,  old  fellow,"  said  John;  "if  you  want 
something  to  do,  take  these  birds  and  carry  them 
to  the  house,  for  our  dinner." 

"  John,"  said  his  father,  "  have  you  had  as  good  a 
time  as  you  expected  ?  " 


AN    UNGRATEFUL    BOY.  195 

"  O,  father,  I  never  had  such  a  good  time  in  all 
my  life  !  You  know  the  brook  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  it's  the  greatest  place  for  frost-fish  you 
ever  did  see.  The  sea-fowl  come  in  there  to  drink, 
and  there  is  the  best  chance  to  creep  to  them  be 
hind  the  wood.  You  never  saw  such  a  good  dog 
to  play  as  Sailor  is ;  you  throw  him  a  stone,  and 
he'll  play  half  an  hour  with  it.  What's  Tige  been 
about,  father,  since  I've  been  gone  ?  " 

"  Well,  when  he  wan't  down  on  the  beach  watch 
ing  for  you,  barking  and  whining,  he  was  smelling 
all  round  the  barn  and  orchard,  and  going  up  in 
your  bedroom :  he  has  rooted  the  clothes  of  your 
bed  a  dozen  times,  to  see  if  you  was  in  it ;  and 
every  night  he  has  slept  on  your  old  jacket." 

The  opinion  expressed  by  John's  mother,  that 
'twas  much  better  he  should  be  on  the  island  than 
in  the  company  of  some  of  the  boys  he  went  with, 
grew  out  of  the  following  circumstances  :  — 

During  the  past  summer,  a  boy  by  the  name  of 
Peter  Clash  ran  away  from  a  Nova  Scotia  vessel, 
that  came  in  for  a  harbor.  Old  Mr.  Smullen  had 
taken  him  in,  out  of  charity.  This  boy  was  eigh 
teen  years  of  age,  and  belonged  in  Halifax,  where, 
having  the  run  of  the  streets  and  wharves,  he  j 


196  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

/  learned  all  kinds  of  vice.     He  was  of  a  malicious 
/  disposition,  and  intolerably  lazy. 

He  soon  made  the  acquaintance  of  all  the  boys 
in  the  neighborhood,  but  consorted  chiefly  with 
Fred  Williams,  the  miller's  son,  John  Pettigrew, 
Isaac  Godsoe,  Henry  Griffin,  and  some  others. 

None  of  these  boys  would  have  been  disposed  to 
engage  in  any  mischief  beyond  mere  fun,  or  that 
was  injurious  to  any  one's  person  or  property,  if 
left  to  themselves  ;  they  also  had  but  little  leisure, 
as,  when  not  at  school,  they  were  at  work ;  but 
Peter,  who  did  very  much  as  he  pleased  at  old 
Uncle  Smullen's,  had  a  great  deal  of  spare  time, 
when  he  both  planned  mischief  and  persuaded  the 
others  to  aid  him  in  the  execution.  He  had  been 
in  the  place  but  a  month,  when  he  manifested  his 
mean,  cowardly  disposition  by  a  trick  that  he 
pluyed  upon  his  benefactors. 

The  old  people  had  fed,  clothed,  and  sheltered 
him  when  he  had  no  place  to  put  his  head,  for 
which  the  little  labor  he  performed  was  by  no 
means  an  equivalent,  as  he  generally  contrived 
to  be  out  of  the  way  just  when  his  help  was 
needed. 

In  those  days  nobody  thought  of  hauling  up  a 
year's  stock  of  wood,  and  having  it  cut  and  dried ; 


AN    UNGRATEFUL   BOY.  197 

but  they  picked  it  up  as  they  wanted  it,  and  hauled 
it  home  on  a  sled,  as  wheels  were  by  no  means 
common  in  those  days.  The  old  folks  were  in  the 
habit  of  getting  on  the  sled,  and  riding  out  in  the 
woods  with  Peter,  helping  him  load,  and  then 
riding  back. 

Peter  had  found  a  large  hornet's  nest  in  a  heap 
of  beech  limbs;  so  he  drives  the  sled  right  over  it, 
and  stops  the  cattle;  when  the  enraged  insects, 
who  were  of  the  yellow-bellied  kind,  and  the  most 
cruel  of  stingers,  attacked  the  old  people,  and 
stung  them  terribly,  as  they  were  too  feeble  to  get 
quickly  away. 

It  was  thought  the  old  gentleman  would  never 
see  again.  They  then  turned  upon  the  oxen, 
who,  frantic  with  fear  and  agony,  ran  into  the 
woods,  tore  the  sled  in  pieces  against  the  trees, 
and  ran  into  the  water,  where  they  would  have 
been  drowned  but  for  Joe  Bradish  and  Captain 
Khines. 

Peter  pretended  that  he  didn't  know  the  hornets 
were  there,  and  the  kind  old  people  believed  him  ; 
but  it  came  out  afterwards  that  he  had  done  it  on 
purpose. 

He  used  also  to  torment  small  boys,  whenever 
he  could  get  a  good  opportunity. 


198  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

It  was  the  influence  of  these  boys  which  Mrs. 
Rhines  feared  ;  but  she  apprehended  danger  where 
none  existed.  Peter,  John  despised :  as  to  the 
others,  they  were  too  much  below  him  in  point  of 
intelligence  and  force  of  character  to  exert  any 
influence  over  him. 

He  was  now  in  his  fifteenth  year,  very  large  of 
his  age,  beautifully  proportioned,  with  his  father's 
gray  eyes  and  dark  hair ;  excelled  in  wrestling, 
swimming,  arid  all  kinds  of  boy's  sports,  and  bade 
fair  almost  to  rival  Ben  in  strength.  He  had  an 
eye  that  you  could  look  right  into,  as  you  can  look 
down  into  the  depths  of  a  clear  spring.  The  whole 
expression  of  his  face  was  so  manly  and  frank,  it 
was  felt  at  once  to  be  an  index  of  his  character. 
According  to  Fred  Williams,  John  Rhines  was 
just  as  full  of  principle  as  he  could  stick ;  and  the 
boys  never  thought  of  proposing  to  him  any  plan 
which  their  consciences  told  them  was  of  doubtful 
morality.  John  was  less  accessible  to  temptation, 
for  the  reason  that  he  loved  out  of  doors,  and  the 
stimulus  his  nature  craved  was  of  a  healthy  char 
acter.  He  delighted  in  everything  that  required 
great  physical  force  and  endurance ;  and  we  can- 
riot  but  think  that  the  wrestling,  jumping,  pulling 
up,  and  rough  out-door  sports  of  that  period, 


AN    UNGRATEFUL    BOY.  199 

though  a  man's  leg  was  broken  now  and  then,  or 
somebody  killed  outright,  were  infinitely  prefer 
able  to  the  effeminate  amusements  of  the  present 
day,  which  turn  boys  into  coxcombs  and  men- 
milliners,  and  destroy  both  soul  and  body.  Noth 
ing  was  more  agreeable  to  him  than  the  pleasure 
derived  from  contrasts  between  great  extremes. 
Those  pursuits  which  promised  neither  peril  nor 
hardship  possessed  for  him  very  little  attraction. 

He  loved  to  fly  through  the  water  in  a  boat, 
with  all  the  sail  she  would  suffer,  while  the  spray 
came  by  bucketfuls  on  to  the  side  of  his  neck, 
and  then,  rounding  a  densely-wooded  point,  run 
her  into  a  calm,  sunny  nook,  among  the  green 
leaves,  exchanging  the  dash  of  the  cold  spray  and 
the  shrill  whistle  of  the  wind  for  the  warm  sun 
shine  and  the  song  of  birds. 

His  father  used  to  say  he  believed  that  John 
would  pound  his  finger  for  the  sake  of  having  it 
feel  better  when  it  was  done  aching ;  not  cqpsid- 
ering  that  the  boy  inherited  his  own  temperament, 
and  that  he  had  manifested  the  same  disposition, 
when,  basking  in  the  warmth  of  a  blazing  fire,  filled 
to  repletion  with  sea  pie  and  pudding,  he  told  his 
wife  how  much  the  recollection  of  his  past  perils 
added  to  his  present  happiness. 


200  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

To  complete  the  sum  of  John's  attractions,  his 
voice  was  naturally  modulated  to  express  every 
shade  of  feeling;  as  Uncle  Isaac  said,  "it  came 
from  the  right  place,  and  went  to  the  right 
place," 


PETEE   CLASH    AND    THE    WOLF-TRAP.          201 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PETER   CLASH    AND    THE    WOLF-TRAP. 

CAPTAIN  RHINE s  was  called  to  Boston  on  ac 
count  of  some  business  with  Mr.  Welch,  and  John 
was  kept  from  school  to  take  care  of  matters  at 
home. 

One  pleasant  morning,  his  mother  having  given 
him  the  day,  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  gun 
ning  and  fishing,  taking  his  dinner  with  him,  Sam 
Hadlock  having  agreed  to  do  what  was  necessary 
in  his  absence. 

As  he  was  about  to  set  out,  Fred  Williams  came 
along,  with  his  dinner-pail  in  his  hand,  on  his  way 
to  school. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  John  ?  " 

"  Frost-fishing  and  gunning." 

"I'll  go  with  you;  'tis  too  pleasant  to  go  to 
school." 

"  I  wouldn't  play  truant,  Fred." 

"  Father  won't  know  it ;  our  girls  ain't  going  to 
day  ;  so  there's  nobody  to  tell." 


202  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

«  But  you'll  know  it  yourself,  Fred." 

« I  don't  care." 

"  If  you  won't  play  truant,  I'll  go  some  Saturday 
with  you." 

"  Saturdays  father  makes  me  work  in  the  mill ; 
he  thinks  I  don't  want  to  play,  as  other  boys  do." 

John  could  not  persuade  him  to  go  to  school ;  so 
they  started  off  together.  They  spent  the  forenoon 
in  gunning.  At  noon  they  made  a  fire  on  the  rocks, 
made  some  clay  porridge,  then  took  a  sea-fowl  and 
dipped  into  it,  feathers  and  all,  coating  it  completely 
with  clay  ;  they  then  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground,  fill 
ing  it  partly  with  stones,  which  they  made  red  hot ; 
on  these  they  put  the  bird,  then  threw  back  the 
loose  earth.  After  a  proper  time  they  took  it  out, 
and  peeled  off  the  clay,  which  brought  the  feathers 
and  skin  with  it,  leaving  the  carcass  clean  and  well 
cooked. 

John  had  brought  pepper,  salt,  and  butter,  and 
they  had  plenty  of  bread  and  meat  in  their  dinner- 
pails.  Tige  wouldn't  touch  the  bird ;  so  they  gave 
him  the  meat. 

"  How  good  this  is ! "  said  Fred,  with  the  wing  of 
a  sheldrake  in  his  mouth ;  "how  glad  I  am  I  didn't 
go  to  school!" 

John  made  no  reply,  for  his  mouth  was  full; 


PETER    CLASH    AND    THE    WOLF-TKAP.  203 

neither  did  he  approve  of  playing  truant.  They 
now  went  to  Uncle  Isaac's  brook,  fishing.  The 
frost-fish  swim  up  into  the  mouth  of  little  brooks, 
where  the  water  is  only  about  two  or  three  inches 
deep,  and  are  very  slow  in  their  movements  in  cool 
weather.  The  boys  caught  them  by  fastening  a 
cod-hook  to  a  stick,  three  or  four  feet  long,  and 
hauling  them  out.  They  set  out  on  their  return  in 
good  season,  that  Fred  might  get  home  at  tlje 
proper  time,  and  escape  detection. 

As  they  came  to  the  landing,  John  jumped  out 
to  haul  the  boat  ashore,  while  Fred  pushed  with 
an  oar ;  the  bo.it,  striking  a  rock,  stopped  so  sud 
denly,  that  he  fell  down  into  the  bottom  of  her, 
and  stuck  one  of  the  hooks  into  his  thigh.  The 
remorseless  steel  buried  itself  in  the  flesh  beyond 
the  barb.  There  was  the  miserable  boy,  with  both 
hands  behind  him,  holding  himself  up,  afraid  either 
to  get  up  or  sit  down,  as  he  could  not  move  an  inch 
without  taking  with  him  the  great  stick  to  which 
the  hook  was  fastened.  John,  reaching  carefully 
under  hirr^  cut  the  string  which  fastened  it  to  the 
hook,  letting  it  fall  off. 

Fred  now  prostrated  himself  on  the  beach,  while 
John  proceeded  to  examine  ;  he  pulled  a  little. 

"  O-w-w  !  you  hurt  me  ! " 


204  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"  It's  over  the  barb ;  I  can't  pull  it  out  without 
almost  killing  you." 

"  My  father'll  kill  me  quite,  if  he  finds  out  I've 
played  truant ;  father's  awful  when  he  rises.  O,  I 
wish  I'd  gone  to  school." 

"  I  should  think  you  would." 

"  It  must  come  out  somehow ;  can't  you  cut 
it  out?" 

« I'll  try ;  but  it'll  hurt." 

"  I  can't  herp  it ;  but  be  as  easy  as  you  can." 

John  had  been  shelling  clams  with  his  knife  the 
day  before,  and  that  forenoon  he'd  used  it  as  a 
screw-driver,  to  tighten  the  flint  in  his  gun  ;  but  he 
whet  it  on  the  sole  of  his  boot,  and  began  to  cut. 

"  O,  dear !  what  shall  I  do  ?  Boo-oo !  cut  away, 
John  !  I  shall  die  !  I  shall  die !  I  wish  I'd  gone  to 
school!  Murder!  murder!!  murder!!!" 

"  Fred,"  cried  John,  flinging  away  the  knife,  his 
eyes  filling  with  tears,  "  I  can't  bear  to  hurt  you  so." 

"  Father'll  hurt  me  worse  ;  he'll  rip  it  right  out, 
and  lick  me  into  the  bargain." 

"  There's  a  file  in  the  canoe,  they  have  to  sharpen 
hooks ;  perhaps  I  can  file  it  off." 

"  Do,  John  ;  do." 

Just  as  the  voices  of  the  children  were  heard 
going  home  from  school,  John  succeeded  in  filing 


PETER   CLASH    AND    THE    WOLF-TRAP.  205 

it  off.  Fred  jumped  up,  his  mouth  full  of  gravel, 
where  he  had  bitten  the  beach  in  his  agony,  and 
ran  home.  He  didn't  sleep  much  that  night.  The 
sawing  of  the  flesh  with  a  dull  knife  produced  irri 
tation,  and  by  morning  it  began  to  fester.  It  hurt 
him  to  walk,  it  hurt  him  to  move,  and  it  hurt  him 
to  sit  still.  All  day  long  he  sat  on  the  edge  of  his 
seat,  and  didn't  go  out  at  recess  to  play.  When  he 
got  home,  he  found  his  cousin  John  Ryan  had 
come  to  spend  the  night.  As  he  was  a  general 
favorite,  the  children  all  wanted  him  to  sit  next 
them  at  the  table.  They  were  all  standing  up 
around  the  table,  wrangling  about  it,  when  the 
miller,  who  had  a  grist  to  grind  before  dark,  and 
was  in  a  hurry  for  his  supper,  lost  all  patience. 

"  Down  with  you  —  will  you,  somewhere  ?  "  cried 
he  to  Fred ;  "  you're  big  enough  to  behave,"  and 
pushed  him  slap  down  into  a  chair. 

"  O  ! "  screamed  Fred,  jumping  upright,  bursting 
into  tears,  and  clapping  both  hands  to  the  ag 
grieved  part. 

It  all  came  out  now ;  but  in  consideration  of 
what  he  had  suffered,  and  had  yet  to  undergo,  he 
escaped  a  whipping.  His  mother  bound  some  of 
the  marrow  of  a  hog's  jaw  on  the  wound,  and, 
after  a  while,  the  hook  came  out. 


•  206  LION   BEN   OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

Fred  promised  John  Rhines  solemnly  that  he 
not  only  would  never  play  truant  again,  but  in  all 
respects  try  to  become  a  better  boy;  yet  the  wound 
was  scarcely  healed  before  he  was  again  engaged 
in  mischief. 

Captain  Rhines  had  a  fish-flake  on  the  beach, 
just  above  high-water  mark.  Uncle  Isaac  had 
been  making  fish  on  it,  and  they  were  nearly 
cured. 

He  cherished  a  bitter  antipathy  to  the  Tories, 
and,  like  all  the  people  on  the  sea-coast  of  Maine, 
was  inclined  to  dislike  the  inhabitants  of  Nova 
Scotia,  among  whom  they  sought  refuge  after  they 
were  driven  from  the  colonies.  This  prejudice  ex 
tended  itself  to  Peter  Clash,  and  was  greatly 
strengthened  by  his  treatment  of  his  benefactors ; 
he  therefore  never  treated  him  with  the  cordiality 
he  did  the  other  boys.  This  Pete  highly  resented. 
He  persuaded  Fred,  Jack  Pettigrew,  Ike  Godsoe, 
and  some  others,  to  go  with  him  in  the  evening, 
take  the  fish  from  the  flakes,  and  throw  them  on 
the  beach.  It  was  a  very  difficult  matter  to  per 
suade  the  boys  to  do  this,  for  they  all  loved  and 
respected  Uncle  Isaac ;  besides,  he  was  not  a  per 
son  to  be  trifled  with.  After  going  once,  all,  except 
Fred,  Jack,  and  Ike,  refused  to  go  again  ;  and  after 


PETEK    CLASH    AND    THE    WOLF-TRAP.  207 

Pete  and  his  satellites  had  gone,  Henry  Griffin  and 
the  others  went  back  and  replaced  the  fish.  Pete, 
with  his  crew,  continued  the  sport,  and  enjoyed  a 
malicious  pleasure,  as,  hid  in  the  bushes,  they  saw 
him  picking  up  the  fish,  many  of  which,  getting 
in  the  tide's  way,  were  spoiled. 

Uncle  Isaac  set  a  wolf-trap  beside  the  flake,  cover 
ing  it  in  the  sand,  and  hid  himself  among  the  bushes. 
The  boys  manifested  a  great  deal  of  caution,  pre 
tending  they  had  merely  come  down  to  fling  stones 
into  the  water.  The  conduct  of  Uncle  Isaac,  who 
continued  quietly  to  pick  up  the  fish,  without  say 
ing  a  word,  made  them  suspicious ;  they  thought 
there  must  be  something  "under  that  heap  of 
meal."  By  and  by  they  began  to  edge  up  towards 
the  flake,  often  stopping  to  listen.  At  last  Pete 
went  up  to  the  fish ;  walking  along  the  edge  of  the 
flake,  he  threw  off  the  fish  as  he  went,  crying, 
"  There's  nobody  here ;  why  don't  you  come  on,  you 
cowards."  The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his 
mouth,  when  snap  went  the  great  iron  jaws  of  the 
trap,  and  up  jumped  Uncle  Isaac  from  the  bushes. 
Pete  roared  with  agony.  Well  he  might ;  the  trap 
would  have  cut  off  his  leg,  or  crushed  it  to  pom 
ace,  if  Uncle  Isaac  had  not  tied  down  one  of  the 
springs,  thus  diminishing  its  force.  His  captor  ut- 


208  LION   BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

tered  never  a  word  ;  but  catching  him  up,  trap  and 
all,  walked  right  into  the  water. 

"  O !  Mr.  Murch,  I'll  never  do  so  again  !  What 
be  you  going  to  do  to  me  ?  " 

"  Drown  you,  you  spawn  of  a  Tory ;  your  hide 
isn't  worth  taking  off." 

Pete  poured  forth  agonizing  entreaties  for  mercy, 
and  made  the  most  solemn  promises  of  amendment, 
if  his  life  could  be  spared. 

"  You're  a  rotten  egg ;  you're  spilin'  all  our  boys, 
you  varmint,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  chucking  him  right 
into  the  water,  head  and  ears. 

"  Murder !  murder  ! "  screamed  Pete,  the  moment 
he  got  his  head  out. 

"  Will  you  clear  out  in  the  spring,  in  the  first 
fisherman  that  comes  along,  and  go  where  you 
come  from  ?  " 

Pete  called  God  to  witness  that  he  would. 

"  You  can  do  as  you  like ;  but  if  you  don't,  I'll 
be  the  death  of  you.  I  calculate,"  said  Uncle  Isaac, 
as  he  picked  up  his  fish,  "  he'll  keep  his  word  this 
time ;  he'll  have  about  as  much  as  he  can  do  to 
take  care  of  that  leg  this  winter." 

John  Rhines,  being  lonesome,  after  Ben  went  on 
to  the  island,  had  kept  company  to  some  extent 
with  these  boys ;  but  it  was  very  much  like  trying 


PETER    CLASH    AND    THE    WOLF-TRAP.  209 

to  mix  oil  and  water ;  they  played  together  occa 
sionally,  but  there  was  no  fusion.  When  he  heard 
of  the  last-mentioned  occurrence,  he  said  to  his 
mother,  — 

"  I  won't  be  seen  with  those  boys  any  more.  O, 
mother,  I  do  wish  I  had  somebody  to  love  besides 
Tige." 

"  Why,  John  Rhines,  where  are  your  parents, 
your  sisters,  and  all  your  friends  ?  " 

"  You  know  what  I  mean  ;  some  boy  of  my  age, 
that  I  could  love  clear  through;  that  you,  and 
father,  and  Ben  could  love,  and  love  to  have  me 
with ;  and,  when  he  come  to  our  house,  you'd  give 
him  a  piece  of  cake,  and  wouldn't  look  so,  as  you 
do  when  Fred  comes.  I  mean  somebody  that 
wasn't  like  these  boys,  either  stupid  or  wicked." 

The  boy's  heart,  overflowing  with  the  impulses 
of  youth,  longed  for  a  kindred  spirit  of  his  own  age. 
14 


210  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 


CHAPTER    XXL 

WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UNCLE    ISAAC. 

IT  has  been  very  evident,  during  the  progress  of 
this  story,  that  the  young  men  were  very  much  at 
tached  to  Uncle  Isaac ;  yet  the  boys  were  not  a 
whit  the  less  so ;  the  reasons  of  which  will  appear 
as  we  proceed. 

In  the  first  place,  he  retained  in  his  feelings  all 
the  freshness  and  exuberance  of  his  youth  ;  they 
knew  that  he  liked  them  ;  and  it  is  strange  how 
this  unwritten,  unspoken  language  of  the  heart  is 
generally  felt  and  understood. 

In  the  next  place,  he  was  never  known  to  divulge 
a  secret,  and  was  the  depositary  of  half  the  love 
affairs  of  the  young  people  in  the  neighborhood ; 
indeed,  the  boys  often  confided  to  him  their  in 
tended  pranks.  If  mere  fun  was  the  object  of 
them,  he  permitted  them  to  take  their  course,  but, 
if  they  were  of  a  malicious  nature,  would  induce 
them  to  give  them  up,  by  proposing  something 
else,  —  generally  a  tramp  with  him  in  the  woods, 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UXCLE    10  A  AC.         211 

or  on  the  water,  the  seductions  of  which  no  boy 
was  able  to  resist.  It  was  well  it  was  thus,  for  he 
knew  infinitely  better  how  to  manage  them  than  half 
their  parents.  It  has  been  well  said,  that  man  must 
look  up  in  order  to  worship  ;  'tis  just  so  with  boys. 
A  timid,  effeminate  man  can  have  no  influence  over 
a  mess  of  boys ;  and  if  you  have  any  doubt  on  this 
point,  just  reatl  the  names  on  the  boys'  sleds  and 
boats. 

When,  in  the  winter,  he  happened  to  ride  by  the 
school-house,  just  as  school  was  out,  a  curious  scene 
presented  itself.  Children,  in  those  days,  were 
taught  to  make  their  manners ;  but  when  Uncle 
Isaac  came  along,  they  first  made  a  bow,  or  dropped 
a  courtesy,  just  to  manifest  respect ;  and  then  boys 
and  girls  would  pile  into  the  .  sleigh,  and  hang 
around  his  neck,  till  he  was  well  nigh  smothered. 
The  old  horse  would  lay  back  his  ears,  and  look 
around,  as  though  distrusting  his  ability  to  draw 
the  unwonted  load ;  while  the  schoolmaster,  look 
ing  out  of  the  window,  attracted  by  the  noise,  and 
amused  to  see  the  little  ones  searching  his  pockets 
for  npples,  would  forget  to  notice  when  the  minute- 
glass  had  run  out. 

There  was  another  thing  which  imparted  to  his 
society  a  wonderful  fascination  for  the  boys,  which 


212  LION   BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

we  can  in  no  other  way  explain  so  well  as  by  re 
lating  a  conversation  between  little  Bobby  Smullen 
and  his  grandfather.  The  boy  was  at  play  before 
the  door,  as  Uncle  Isaac  returned  from  Sam  El- 
well's,  after  picking  Yelf  out  of  the  ditch.  He 
endeavored,  with  all  his  might,  to  entice  him  to  go 
in,  as  he  wanted  to  listen,  while  he  talked  over  old 
times  with  his  grandparent ;  but  Uncle  Isaac  was 
in  a  hurry,  and,  patting  his  head,  went  on. 

Bobby,  who  was  a  bright,  observing  little  chap, 
looked  after  him  till  he  was  out  of  sight.  Going 
into  the  house,  he  said,  "  Grandsir,  what  makes 
Uncle  Isaac  walk  so  ?  " 

"Walk  how?" 

"  Why,  you  know  how ;  he  don't  walk  like  other 
folks." 

"  The  child  means,"  said  his  grandmother,  "  be 
cause  he  toes  in." 

"  That's  because  he's  an  Indian,  Bobby." 

"  Why,  Jonathan,  ain't  you  ashamed  of  yourself? 
he's  no  more  of  an  Indian  than  you  are.  I  knew 
his  father  and  mother  well ;  old  Mr.  Murch  and  his 
wife  were  the  best  of  people." 

"  Well,  the  Indians  brought  him  up,  anyhow.  I 
don't  jestly  know  the  rights  of  it  •  but  they  carried 
him  off,  with  some  others  of  his  people,  when  he 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UNCLE    ISAAC.          213 

was  a  boy ;  part  of  them  they  tomahawked,  and 
part  they  roasted  alive  ;  but  one  of  the  chiefs  took 
him,  and  brought  him  up.  He  lived  with  them 
years  and  years,  learnt  their  language  and  their 
ways,  and  was  as  good  an  Indian  as  the  best  of 
them.  I've  heard  him  say,  he  thought  their  kind 
of  life  was  happier  than  ours ;  he  never  will  get 
that  wild  nature  out  of  him.  When  the  Penob- 
scots  come  here  in  the  summer,  and  camp  on  his 
point,  he'll  carry  them  beef,  pork,  potatoes,  and 
milk,  and  says  they  have  as  good  right  here  as  he 
has,  and  better,  too.  He'll  give  them  anything 
except  rum ;  he  says  that  wasn't  made  for  an  In 
dian,  because  it  makes  him  crazy." 

"  Don't  it  make  white  people  crazy,  too,  grandsir  ?  " 

"  Hush,  child ;  you  put  me  out,  and  you  don't 
know  what  you're  talking  about.  For  all  he's  such 
a  desperate  working  cretur,  he'll  go  down  right  in 
haying  time,  and  set  on  a  log,  and  talk  with  them, 
and  seems  just  as  uneasy  all  the  time  they're  about 
as  John  Godsoe's  geese." 

"  What  about  John  Godsoe's  geese  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  child." 

"  Yes,  there  is ;  I  know  there  is ;  do  tell  your 
little  boy,  grandsir." 

"Why,  John's  got  some  wild  geese  that  can't 


214  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

fly,  because  one  joint  of  their  wings  is  cut  off. 
They  go  in  the  pasture  with  the  other  geese  as 
peaceable  as  can  be ;  but  in  the  spring,  when  the 
wild  ones  are  flying  over  and  konking,  they'll  flap 
their  old  stubs  of  wings,  and  holler,  and  be  as  un 
easy  ;  that's  jest  the  way  Isaac's  took  when  the 
Indians  are  round.  I  sometimes  think  he'd  go  off 
with  them,  if  he  could  get  his  family  to  go." 

The  horrors  of  Indian  massacre  were  still  fresh 
in  the  recollections  of  older  people.  Sinullen's  first 
wife  and  old  Mr.  Yelf 's  father  were  both  killed  by 
the  Indians ;  and  there  was  nothing  more  attrac 
tive  to  the  youth  of  that  day.  No  marvel,  then, 
that  a  romantic  interest  mingled  in  the  minds  of 
the  boys  with  the  affection  they  entertained  for 
Uncle  Isaac. 

It  is  frequently  said,  one  boy  is  better  than  two 
boys,  and  that  three  is  just  no  boy  at  all ;  but  half 
a  dozen  of  them  would  work  all  day  for  dear  life, 
with  Uncle  Isaac,  encouraged  by  the  promise,  al 
ways  kept,  of  going  on  a  tramp  with  him  when  the 
job  was  over.  Boys  don't  like  to  go  gunning,  and 
come  home  empty-handed.  When  they  went  with 
him,  they  always  brought  home  game  with  them ; 
for  if  they  couldn't  shoot  anything,  he  could. 
These  attractions  enabled  him  to  exert  a  great 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UNCLE    ISAAC.         215 

influence  over  them,  which  he  improved  to  the 
noblest  ends,  and  made  impressions  that  were  never 
eradicated.  He  was  neither  in  his  own  opinion,  nor 
by  profession,  a  religious  man  ;  but  the  teachings 
of  a  pious  mother  had  laid  deep  in  his  young  heart 
the  foundation  of  faith  and  love.  When  torn  from 
her  by  the  savages,  in  the  solitude  of  mighty  for 
ests,  he  had  pored  and  prayed  over  them,  till  they 
ripened  into  a  heartfelt  love  for  Him  "  who  caus- 
eth  the  grass  to  grow  for  cattle,  and  herb  for  the 
service  of  man." 

His  teachings  were  therefore  of  such  a  nature, 
that  while  divested  of  the  stiffness  generally  con 
nected  with  all  attempts  at  advice  or  instruction, 
they  deepened  every  good  impression,  and  stirred 
the  young  heart  to  the  quick. 

A  most  silly  and  hurtful  notion,  often  entertained 
by  young  people  in  respect  to  religion,  is,  that  it  has 
a  tendency  to  make  people  narrow-minded,  or,  as 
they  phrase  it,  meeching.  Such  a  feeling  was  ef 
fectually  repressed,  as  they  listened  to  ideas  of  that 
nature  from  one  who  hesitated  not  to  grapple  with 
the  fiercest  beasts  of  the  forest,  and  bore  on  his 
person  the  scars  of  many  wounds.  His  influence 
over  them  was  very  much  increased,  for  the  reason 
that  he  seemed  anxious  to  make  them  happy  in 


216  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

this  world,  as  well  as  the  other ;  inculcated  with 
great  earnestness  those  principles  which  lie  at  the 
bottom  of  thrift,  competence,  and  the  well-being  of 
society. 

Religious  discourse  from  their  parents,  the  cate 
chising  of  the  minister,  advice  in  respect  to  their 
conduct  in  life,  might  be  quite  dry  and  uninterest 
ing;  but  with  what  power  to  attract  and  move 
were  the  same  ideas  invested,  as  they  fell  from  the 
lips  of  the  hunter  and  warrior,  on  a  wild  sea-beach, 
amid  the  roar  of  breakers ;  in  some  sunny  nook  of 
the  hills,  with  the  rifle  across  his  knees,  made  juicy 
and  attractive  by  his  graphic  language  ;  not  thrust 
upon  them  against  the  stomach  of  their  sense,  but, 
like  the  teachings  of  the  great  Parent  of  nature,  in 
harmony  with  bursting  buds,  the  springing  grass, 
shading  into  a  deeper  green,  or  mingling  in  their 
ear  with  the  brook's  low  murmur,  and  the  music  of 
summer  winds  among  the  foliage,  —  thus  imper 
ceptibly,  as  the  increase  of  their  strengthening  sin 
ews,  growing  up  with,  and  moulding  the  very  habit 
of  their  thoughts ! 

There  had  been  no  adverse  clement  to  disturb 
these  pleasant  and  profitable  relations,  till  Peter 
Clash  came  into  the  neighborhood.  Nothing  but 
the  entire  conviction  of  the  uselessness  of  all  efforts 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UNCLE    ISAAC.         217 

to  reclaim  him,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  injury  his 
influence  and  example  was  doing  to  the  other  boys, 
caused  Uncle  Isaac  to  treat  him  with  such  severity, 
and  made  him  resolve  to  drive  him  out  of  the 
place. 

"  I  wouldn't  be  so  mean,"  said  he,  "  as  to  throw 
my  weeds  into  other  people's  gardens ;  but  when 
they  throw  their  weeds  into  mine,  I'll  fling  them 
back  again  :  he  shan't  take  root  and  go  to  seed 
here  ;  we've  weeds  enough  of  our  own." 

The  first  leisure  day  John  had,  after  his  father's 
return,  he  took  his  hoe,  and  going  directly  to  the 
field  where  he  knew  Uncle  Isaac  was  digging  pota 
toes,  went  to  work  with  him. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  play  any  more  with  Pete,  and 
that  set ;  I  mean  to  play  with  you,  Uncle  Isaac." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  playmate  first  rate  ;  I've 
been  pretty  much  alone  of  late." 

"  Will  you  go  gunning  with  me  in  your  float, 
after  we  get  these  potatoes  dug  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Won't  you  tell  me  an  Indian  story  now  ?  " 

"  I  can't  talk  and  work  too  ;  but  I'll  tell  you  one 
to-night,  after  we've  done  work,  and  when  we  go 
gunning,  and  are  waiting  for  birds.  Work  when  you 
work,  and  play  when  you  play ;  that's  my  fashion." 


218  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

When  the  time  arrived,  John  reminded  Uncle 
Isaac  of  his  promise. 

"  Well,  John,  where  do  you  want  to  go  ?  into 
the  woods,  or  after  sea-fowl  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  want  to  do,  above  all  things ; 
but  perhaps  you  wouldn't ;  I  want  you  to  learn  me 
to  shoot  flying.  I  can  shoot  very  well  now  at  a 
dead  mark ;  but  I  never,  in  all  my  life,  shot  any 
thing  flying." 

"  You'll  never  be  much  of  a  gunner  till  you  can, 
because  there's  ten  chances  to  shoot  flying  or  run 
ning  game  where  there  is  one  to  shoot  that  which 
is  still.  Take  a  fox,  for  instance  ;  'tain't  one  time 
to  a  hundred  you  can  shoot  one,  except  on  the 
.clean  jump,  going  twelve  or  fifteen  foot  at  a  leap, 
and  looking  just  like  a  little  streak.  All  these  sea- 
fowl  fly  out  of  the  bays  every  night.  Now,  there's 
a  place  between  Smutty  Nose  and  the^  Sow  and 
Pigs,  not  more  than  half  a  gun-shot  in  width, 
which  they  fly  through  about  sunrise,  when  they 
come  into  the  bay.  I've  gone  there  before  sun 
rise,  with  three  guns,  and  killed  over  a  hundred  ; 
been  back  by  the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  got 
my  breakfast,  and,  by  working  a  little  later,  done 
a  good  day's  work.  What  d'ye  think  of  that, 
Johnny  ?  " 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UNCLE    ISAAC.         219 

"  O ! "  cried  John,  his  eyes  flashing,  "  I  shouldn't 
want  to  live  any  longer,  if  I  could  do  that." 

"  There's  a  good  many  other  places  where  they 
fly  through ;  for  it's  the  nature  of  them  to  follow 
the  land.  They  used  to  fly  through  between  Elm 
Island  .and  the  outer  ledges,  but  I  expect  Ben  has 
pretty  much  put  an  end  to  that ;  besides,  if  you 
have  two  guns,  or  a  double  barrel,  it  gives  you  two 
chances  —  you  can  fire  at  them  in  the  water,  and 
when  they  rise  give  it  to  them  again." 

"I  know  it;  I've  seen  you  and  Ben  shoot  wild 
geese  when  they  were  flying  over.  Ben  burnt 
mother  awfully  with  a  wild  goose." 

"  How  could  that  be  V  " 

"Well,  mother  was  frying  fish  in  the  Dutch 
oven ;  Ben  fired  into  a  flock  that  was  flying  over 
the  house,  and  down  came  an  old  gander,  right 
down  chimney,  and  flung  the  fat  all  over  her  face." 

"  Well,  John,  as  to  the  learning,  you  must  fore- 
lay  for  them ;  when  they're  coming  towards  you, 
swing  your  gun  as  they  fly,  and  aim  jest  before 
their  bill,  and  then  they'll  fly  right  into  the  shot. 
The  best  bird  for  a  boy  to  practise  on  is  a  fish- 
hawk,  because  they  are  a  large  mark,  and  fly 
steady,  but  they  are  all  gone  south  now  ;  but  a 
coot  will  do  very  well.  You  must  shoot,  and  shoot, 


220  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

and  practise  till  you  get  it ;  and  jest  as  you  begin 
to  think  you  never  can  get  it,  'twill  come.  You 
better  take  my  gun ;  it  goes  quicker  than  yours. 
I'll  manage  the  boat ;  you  can  fire,  and  I'll  watch 
you  and  tell  you." 

On  their  way  home  they  fell  into  conversation 
about  the  other  boys. 

"I  don't  think,"  said  John,  "  that  Fred  is  a  bad- 
hearted  boy ;  we've  always  played  together,  and 
he  was  a  good  boy  till  Pete  came  here.  I  believe 
all  of  them  would  do  well  enough,  if 'twasn't  for  him, 
and  would  never  do  any  real  mean  mischief  of  their 
own  heads ;  they  like  fun,  and  so  do  I,  and  should 
be  as  full  of  mischief  as  any  of  them,  if  I  didn't 
like  gunning  so  much  better,  which  takes  up  all  my 
spare  time." 

"  That  Pete  is  too  rotten  to  nail  to.  As  for 
Fred,  there's  more  foundation  to  him ;  he's  had  a 
better  bringing  up  ;  he's  like  the  fish  that  take  the 
color  of  the  bottom  they  feed  on  ;  he  falls  in  with 
the  company  he  keeps,  and  can't  stand  on  his  own 
legs." 

"I  don't  believe  I  should  have  been  one  whit 
better  than  Fred,  if  I  had  been  brought  up  as  he 
has.  I've  known  Fred  to  do  a  real  good  day's 
work,  and  his  father  and  mother  never  take  the 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UXCLE    ISAAC.         221 

least  notice  of  it ;  now,  big  boy  as  I  am,  there's 
nothing  pleases  me  so  much  as  to  have  father  come 
and  see  what  I've  clone,  and  praise  me  for  it ;  then 
his  father  always  sets  his  bounds,  and  tells  him  he 
may  go  to  such  a  tree  or  rock ;  of  course  he  wants 
to  go  over ;  he'd  be  a  fool  if  he  didn't.  I've  gone 
over  there  sometimes,  all  dressed  up,  to  play  with 
him,  and  his  father  would  keep  him  to  work,  when 
Fred  knew,  and  I  knew,  that  the  work  might  be 
just  as  well  done  the  next  day.  I  tell  you,  that 
makes  a  boy  feel  ugly.  Now,  just  look  at  my 
father ;  I've  known  him,  when  boys  came  over  here 
to  play  with  me,  to  let  me  off,  and  work  till  after 
dark  himself.  Think  I  didn't  put  in  the  next  day, 
and  watch  for  chances  to  make  it  up  ?  and  do  you 
think  I'll  ever  forget  it,  as  long  as  I  live  ?  'Tisn't 
every  boy,  Uncle  Isaac,  that's  got  as  good  father 
and  mother  as  I  have." 

"  You  never  spoke  a  truer  word  than  that,  John." 

"I  don't  believe  a  boy  can  love  a  man,  just  be 
cause  he's  his  father,  if  he  treats  him  just  like  a  dog." 

"  Don't  you  think,  then,  instead  of  leaving  Fred 
altogether,  it  would  be  better  to  ask  him  to  go  with 
you  and  me  sometimes  ?  " 

"  I  think  we  should  have  a  great  deal  better  time 
without  him." 


222  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  but  we  ought  to  be  willing  some 
times  to  displease  ourselves,  for  the  sake  of  bene 
fiting  others.  A  boy  or  man,  who  never  thinks 
of  anybody's  comfort  or  happiness  but  his  own,  is  a 
pretty  mean  sort  of  an  affair,  and  ought  not  to  be 
allowed  round.  There's  Pete;  he's  no  credit  to  his 
Maker,  and  only  a  plague  to  the  neighborhood,  and 
swears  awful ;  yet  God  feeds  and  clothes  him." 
.  "-No,  he  don't,  Uncle  Isaac  ;  because  Mrs.  Smul- 
len  makes  the  cloth,  and  makes  the  clothes,  too." 

"  If  she  does,  the  Lord  gives  her  the  stock,  and 
wit,  and  strength  to  manufacture  it.  You  allow 
yourself  there's  some  good  in  Fred  ;  and  I  say  it's 
no  part  of  a  man,  when  a  poor  fellow's  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  trying  to  get  up,  to  jump  on  him." 

"  But  you  don't  understand.  It  isn't  just  for  the 
sake  of  going  gunning,  and  hearing  the  Indian  sto 
ries,  that  I  like  so  well  to  go  with  you  ;  but  I  like 
to  hear  you  talk  about  good  things,  and  tell  me' 
how  I  can  make  a  man  of  myself.  Fred  wouldn't 
care  a  straw  for  such  things." 

"  How  can  that  ever  be  known,  till  it's  tried  ? 
According  to  your  tell,  he's  never  had  much  of 
such  treatment." 

"  That  is  very  true." 

"  You're  very  sorry  he's 'a  bad  boy  ;  wish  he  was 


WHY    THE    BOYS    LIKED    UNCLE    ISAAC.         223 

better;  but  are  not  willing  to  forego  your  own 
pleasure  for  the  sake  of  getting  him  into  better 
company,  and  giving  him  an  opportunity  to  rally. 
We've  spent  all  this  day,  and  have  patiently  man 
aged  the  boat,  that  you  might  learn  to  shoot  flying, 
and  you've  made  out  to  kill  two  birds ;  whereas,  if 
I'd  taken  the  gun,  made  you  manage  the  boat,  or 
gone  without  you,  I  might  have  killed  twenty,  and 
been  home  at  dinner-time." 

"•I'm  ashamed  of  myself,  Uncle  Isaac ;  I  won't 
be  so  mean  and  selfish  any  more." 

"  Well,  Pete'll  have  enough  to  do  to  take  care 
of  his  legs  this  winter,  and  I  think  he'll  go  off  in 
the  spring.  Speak  kindly  to  Fred,  and  keep  hold 
of  him ;  and  when  the  warm  weather  comes,  we'll 
take  him  with  us,  and  try  to  save  him." 


224  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


IT  was  now  early  winter,  and  the  proper  time  to 
work  in  the  woods. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  Ben  to  Uncle  Isaac,  "»I'd 
better  hire  Joe  ?  " 

"  He  asks  great  wages,  but  he's  the  cheapest  man 
you  can  hire,  for  all  that.  I've  seen  a  man  fall 
spars,  so  that  they  all  had  to  be  hauled  out  top 
foremost ;  it  was  like  twitching  a  cat  by  the  tail. 
Most  men  will  break  more  or  less  masts,  falling 
them,  and  soon  throw  away  all  their  wages;  but 
though  Joe  seems  to  be  such  a  great  heedless  crea 
ture,  there's  nothing  pertains  to  falling,  hauling,  or 
rafting  timber,  that  he  don't  know ;  he  can  also 
shave  shingles  and  rive  staves,  and  will  be  just  as 
profitable  in  stormy  weather  as  at  any  other  time." 

The  next  morning,  as  Ben  and  Joe  were  grind 
ing  their  axes  to  attack  the  forest,  they  were  very 
much  surprised  by  a  visit  from  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  I  felt,"  said  he,  "  as  though  I  must  look  upon 


BEN'S  NOVEL  SHIP.  225 

Elm  Island  once  more,  before  the  axe  and  firebrand 
went  into  it,  and  while  it  was  as  God  made  it. 
Perhaps  it's  owing  to  my  Indian  bringing  up,  but  I 
hate  to  see  the  forest  fall ;  and  when  I  have  to  go 
fifty  miles  to  shoot  a  deer  or  a  bear,  the  relish  will 
be  all  taken  out  of  life  for  me." 

"  I  feel  very  much  as  you  do,"  said  Ben ;  "  I 
know  I  shall  spoil  its  beauty,  but  I  see  no  other 
way  to  pay  for  it." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that ;  there's  no  doubt  but 
Congress,  by  and  by,  will  give  a  bounty  to  fisher 
men  ;  fishing  is  going  to  come  up.  Mr.  Welch 
don't  want  his  money  any  more  than  a  cat  wants 
two  tails ;  he  told  you  to  take  your  own  time,  and 
I'd  take  my  time.  I  believe  you  can  pay  for  this 
island  by  clearing  only  what  you  need  for  pasture 
and  tillage.  That  will  make  quite  a  hole  in  your 
debt,  and  the  rest  you  can  pull  out  of  the  water." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  be  a  fisherman  ;  I  detest 
it ;  work  all  summer,  and  eat  it  all  up  in  the  win 
ter  ;  so  much  broken  time,  when  it's  so  windy  you 
can't  fish,  and  can't  do  anything  else,  for  fear  it 
will  come  good  weather,  and  you  will  have  to 
leave  it." 

"  That's  the  right  kind  of  talk ;  I  like  to  hear  you 
talk  so ;  but  you  can  fish  till  the  land  is  yours  — 
15 


226  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

can't  you  ?  All  the  time  you  are  fishing,  the  timber 
will  be  growing,  and  then  you  can  farm  it  to  your 
heart's  content ;  farming  is  going  to  be  a  first-rate 
business,  too.  People  round  here  are  all  stark  mad 
about  lumbering  and  fishing ;  they  will  touch  any 
thing  but  a  hoe,  and  think  barley  ain't  worth  thank 
ing  God  for.  Since  the  peace,  the  country  is  full 
of  foreign  goods,  and  they  are  ready  to  strip  the 
land  to  get  money  to  buy  them.  Nothing  but 
French  calico,  silks,  and  satins,  and  all  such 
boughten  stuffs,  will  do  for  'my  ladyship'  now. 
If  people  are  going  to  work  in  the  woods  all  win 
ter,  and  drive  the  river  and  work  in  the  mills  all 
summer,  I  should  like  to  know  where  the  corn, 
hay,  pork,  and  beef,  to  feed  all  these  people  that 
grow  nothing,  is  to  come  from.  I  wonder  if  the 
people  that  stay  at  home  and  raise  it  won't  get  a 
round  price  for  it." 

"  I've  thought  of  that,"  said  Ben.  "  I  know  that 
a  great  many  fishermen  come  here  for  supplies, 
must  have  them,  and  no  time  to  run  after  them, 
and  will  give  whatever  the  men  ask  that  bring 
them  alongside." 

"  There's  another  thing ;  this  timber  will  be  worth 
more  every  year  it  stands,  because  it  will  be  grow 
ing  scarce." 


227 

"  O,  Uncle  Isaac,  this  is  a  great  country;  it  won't 
be  till  you  and  I,  and  our  grandchildren,  if  we  have 
any,  are  dead  and  gone." 

"  That's  true ;  and  it  ain't  true  there's  no  end  to 
the  timber  in  the  country ;  but  the  timber  that  is 
directly  on  the  shore,  where  a  vessel  can  go  right 
to  it,  is  growing  scarce,  more  especially  these  big 
masts.  The  king's  commissioners  scoured  the  sea- 
coast  pretty  well  before  the  war ;  and  masts  and 
spars  on  an  island  like  this,  with  a  good  harbor, 
where  they  can  be  got  to  the  ship's  tackles  with 
little  expense,  will,  in  a  few  years,  bear  a  great 
price  ;  for  if  timber  is  plenty,  labor  is  not.  Thank 
God,  every  one  has  enough  to  do ;  and  it  costs,  I 
can  tell  you,  to  bring  timber  down  a  river  thirty 
miles,  to  what  it  does  to  roll  it  off  the  bank,  as  you 
can  here." 

"  I  see  you  are  right ;  for  I'm  sure  I  don't  know 
of  another  island  that  is  timbered  like  this.  Others 
have  all  been  cut,  and  burnt  over  by  the  fishermen 
setting  fires  in  the  summer ;  about  half  the  timber 
on  the  islands  is  burnt  up  by  mere  carelessness." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  to  lose  this  brook  —  would 
you  ?  " 

"  Lose  the  brook  !  I'd  as  soon  lose  the  island ;  it 
would  not  be  worth  much  without  the  brook." 


228  LION   BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

"  Well,  just  as  sure  as  you  clear  the  middle  ridge, 
and  the  north-east  end  of  the  island  where  the 
springs  are  that  feed  it,  and  let  the  sun  and  wind 
in  on  the  land,  you'll  dry  the  brook." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  so  —  I  know  so.  There's  a  brook 
runs  through  my  field.  Long  since  I  can  remem 
ber  it  used  to  carry  a  saw-mill ;  but  my  father  and 
I  cleared  the  land,  and  the  people  at  the  source  of 
it  cleared  theirs,  and  now  it's  dry  all  summer,  and 
but  a  little  water  in  it  early  in  the  spring  and  late 
in  the  fall." 

"  I'm  glad  you  told  me  this ;  you  know  I'm  a 
sailor,  and  don't  know  much  about  such  matters. 
I  hope  you'll  never  be  mealy-mouthed,  but  speak 
just  as  you  think." 

"  I'm  an  ignorant  man,  and  have  never  been  to 
school,  and  over  the  world,  as  you  have ;  but  I 
know  about  these  sort  of  things,  because  I've  either 
tried  'em,  or  seen  other  people  try  them ;  it's  jest 
my  experience." 

When  he  had  thus  spoken  he  prepared  to  depart. 

"  Do  stay  to  dinner,  Uncle  Isaac,"  said  Sally. 

"  It's  impossible  ;  I  ought  to  be  at  home  this 
very  minute ;  but  I  couldn't  help  coming  over 
here  and  freeing  my  mind ; "  and,  dropping  his 


229 

oars  into  the  water,  he  was  in  a  moment  round  the 
eastern  point. 

This  conversation  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
Ben ;  he  looked  upon  the  island  not  merely  as  of 
fering  advantages  for  a  living,  but  he  loved  it.  All 
his  ideas  of  beauty  and  sublimity  were  ingrafted 
upon  these  woods  and  shores ;  from  boyhood  he 
had  been  accustomed  to  go  there  with  his  father. 
Often,  in  the  lonely  hours  of  the  middle  watch  on 
the  ocean,  had  memory  painted  the  green  foliage 
of  the  birches  drooping  over  the  high  ledge. 

In  many  a  black  night  of  tempest,  as  he  stood 
amid  the  pouring  rain  and  flashing  lightning,  did 
his  thoughts  revert  to  that  tranquil  cove,  reflecting 
from  its  bosom  the  overhanging  rocks  and  trees, 
while  the  sunlight  of  a  summer's  morning  was 
glancing  on  the  glossy  breasts  of  the  sea-ducks 
sporting  in  its  calm  waters. 

Standing  upon  the  beach  where  he  had  parted 
with  his  friend,  he  looked  over  the  scene,  and  pic 
tured  to  himself  the  middle  ridge,  shorn  of  its 
green  coronal,  of  majestic  forest,  covered  with 
blackened  stumps  and  the  charred  ruins  of  mighty 
trees.  The  interlacing  network  of  tree-roots,  ferns, 
and  mosses  of  a  thousand  hues,  that  now  adorned 
the  rocks,  burnt  off,  leaving  them  white  and  barren, 


230  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

and  the  bare  bones  of  the  soil  sticking  out.  No 
shelter  for  fruit  trees  or  crops,  man  or  beast,  and 
the  supply  of  water  greatly  diminished ;  the  sweet 
music  of  the  brook  hushed,  and  the  multitudes  of 
hawks  and  herons,  who,  notwithstanding  their  harsh 
notes,  could  ill  be  spared,  banished  forever,  and  the 
island  left  a  shelterless  rock  in  the  ocean  for  the 
cold  sea  winds  to  whistle  over. 

He  found  that  Sally  shared  his  feelings  in  the 
fullest  extent,  and  together  they  resolved  to  sub 
mit  to  any  privations,  and  make  every  possible 
effort  in  order  to  save,  at  least,  a  good  part  of  the 
forest. 

The  axes  now  went  merrily  from  daylight  till 
dark.  They  made  a  workshop  of  the  front  part  of 
the  house,  and  in  stormy  days  made  staves  and 
shingles,  as  there  were  many  trees,  which,  after  they 
were  cut,  proved  to  have  a  hollow  in  the  butt,  or 
were  "  konkus,"  and,  though  not  suitable  for  spars, 
made  good  shingles.  Sometimes  an  oak  was  in  the 
way  of  a  road,  which,  cut,  made  staves. 

Ben^while  privateering,  had  taken  from  a  prize 
some  fine  rifles ;  two  of  these  he  sold,  and  bought 
a  large  yoke  of  oxen,  and  hiring  four  more,  he  be 
gan  to  haul  his  spars  to  the  beach.  As  the  distance 
was  short,  and  the  ground  in  general  descending, 


231 


he  did  not  wait  for  snow,  but  hauled  the  smallest 
spars  on  the  bare  ground,  leaving  the  large  masts 
and  bowsprits  till  the  snow  came.  This  was  not  so 
difficult  as  it  might  appear ;  for  it  is  very  different 
hauling  in  the  woods  from  doing  the  same  thing  on 
a  road.  The  ground  was  in  most  places  covered 
with  a  network  of  roots,  strewn  with  leaves  and 
frozen,  and  the  sled  slipped  over  these  quite  easily ; 
besides,  wherever  there  was  a  hard  spot,  or  a  hol 
low,  they  cut  small  trees,  peeled  the  bark  off,  and 
put  them  along  the  road  for  the  sled  to  slip  over, 
and  thus,  though  they  could  not  move  the  largest 
sticks  in  this  way,  they  got  along  as  fast  with  the 
others  as  though  there  was  snow  ;  for  if  they  hauled 
smaller  loads,  having  no  snow  to  wade  through,  and 
no  road  to  break,  they  went  the  oftener.  Even 
when  the  snow  came,  his  team  was  light  to  haul 
some  of  the  biggest  masts ;  but  they  made  calcu 
lations  take  the  place  of  strength,  put  rollers  under 
the  sticks,  and  helped  the  cattle  with  a  tackle. 

Thus  they  spent  the  winter.  As  the  spring  came 
on,  how  he  longed  to  plough  up  the  clear  spot  along 
the  beach,  to  plant  a  few  peas  and  potatoes,  or  set 
out  a  currant  bush  or  two  in  the  warm  sunny 
ground,  under  the  high  ledge,  that  every  time  he 
passed  it  seemed  to  say,  "  Do  plant  me,  Ben." 


232  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

How  much  more  difficult  it  was  to  let  the  wild 
geese  alone,  that  were  flying  in  vast  flocks  over  his 
head  !  It  made  him  half  crazy  to  hear  the  guns  of 
Uncle  Isaac,  John,  and  his  father,  who  were  letting 
into  them  right  and  left,  as  they  went,  bang,  bang. 

It  was  not  like  the  gunning  nowadays,  when  a 
great  lazy  fellow  goes  all  clay  to  shoot  a  sandpiper 
or  a  sparrow ;  but  there  was  profit  as  well  as  sport 
in  it.  Nevertheless,  he  manfully  resisted  tempta 
tion,  and  plied  the  axe. 

"  I'll  not  live  another  spring  without  a  gunning 
float,"  said  he  to  Joe,  and  dismissed  the  matter 
from  his  thoughts. 

"  What  fools  we  are ! "  said  Joe  ;  "  we've  not  had 
a  drink  of  sap  yet."  As  he  spoke,  he  struck  his 
axe  with  an  upward  blow  into  the  body  of  a  rock 
maple,  and  stuck  a  chip  in  the  gash ;  he  then  cut 
down  a  small  hemlock,  took  off  a  length,  and  from 
it  made  a  trough.  The  sap  ran  down  the  chip  into 
the  trough,  and  in  a  few  hours  they  had  enough  to 
drink. 

"  How  good  that  looks ! "  said  Joe,  as  he  got  down 
on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  looked  into  the  luscious 
liquid,  as  clear  as  crystal ;  "  and  it  don't  taste  bad, 
neither." 

The  first  thing  Joe  did  the  next  morning  was  to 


233 

visit  the  trough,  expecting  to  find  it  full ;  but  it  was 
entirely  empty. 

"It  was  half  full  when  I  left  it,  and  it  must 
have  run  fast ;  what  a  fool  I  was  I  didn't  drink  it 
all  up !  I  know  who's  got  it,"  cried  he,  as  he 
noticed  on  a  little  patch  of  snow  some  tracks,  that 
looked  not  unlike  those  made  by  the  bare  feet  of 
little  children,  for  they  had  been  enlarged  by  the 
thawing  of  the  snow ;  "  they  are  that  coon's  wife 
and  children,  that  we  killed  when  we  were  hewing 
timber.  They  will  be  nice  neighbors,  Ben,  when 
you  come  to  plant  corn  here." 

"  I  don't  care  if  they  do  eat  a  little  corn ;  I  want 
all  the  neighbors  I  can  get.  It  will  be  first  rate  to 
know  just  where  to  go  and  get  a  coon  when  you 
want  one.  I  shall  be  as  well  to  do  as  the  grand 
folks  in  England,  and  have  my  own  game  pre 
serve  ;  besides,  if  they  get  troublesome,  I  can  kill 
them  all  with  Sailor  in  a  week,  on  a  place  no  larger 
than  this." 

There  was  no  vessel  in  that  vicinity  larger  than 
a  fisherman's,  or  a  wood  coaster.  It  required  a 
vessel  of  larger  size  to  carry  such  spars,  and  to  have 
hired  one  from  a  distance  would  have  eaten  up  a 
great  part  of  their  value.  Determined  at  any  risk 
to  save  a  great  part  of  the  forest,  he  devised  and 


234  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

executed  a  most  audacious  plan,  that  he  might 
realize  every  dollar  from  the  sale  of  his  spars,  by 
avoiding  the  great  expense  of  transportation. 

With  a  cool  daring  and  skill,  perfectly  character 
istic,  he  rolled  his  masts  and  spars  on  to  the  beach, 
where,  by  the  help  of  the  tide,  he  could  handle 
them  as  he  pleased,  and  built  them  somewhat  into 
the  shape  of  a  vessel,  securing  the  whole  firmly 
together  with  cross-ties  and  treenails.  He  then 
made  a  large  oar  to  steer  with,  which  no  one  but 
himself  could  lift,  that  worked  in  a  port,  so  that  it 
could  not  slip  out  and  float  up.  He  then  put  a 
large  timber  across  the  stern,  with  deep  notches 
cut  in  it,  to  hold  the  oar  in  whatever  direction  he 
placed  it,  in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  leave  it, 
and  go  to  other  parts  of  the  raft  to  attend  to  other 
matters.  A  mast  had  been  already  built  in  when 
the  raft  was  made ;  he  bought  an  old  mainsail  that 
belonged  to  John  Strout,  made  for  the  Persever 
ance,  and  put  a  cable,  anchor,  and  boat-compass 
on  board. 

"  I  must  have  a  chance  to  make  a  cup  of  tea," 
said  Ben  ;  "  for  I  shall  be  up  nights,  as  there's  only 
one  in  a  watch."  » 

They  placed  a  large  flat  stone  in  the  midst  of  the 
raft  to  build  the  fire  on,  and  then  made  a  fireplace 


BEN'S  NOVEL  SHIP.  235 

with  stones  laid  in  clay,  to  prevent  the  wind  from 
blowing  the  fire  away  from  the  kettle.  Two 
crotches  were  then  placed  each  side  of  the  fire 
place,  and  a  pole  put  across  to  hang  the  tea-kettle  on. 
Wood  and  water  were  now  put  on  board ;  some 
dry  eel-grass  to  lie  down  on  ;  staves,  shingles  ;  and 
feathers,  the  results  of  gunning  at  odd  times ;  and 
the  preparations  for  the  voyage  were  complete. 

"Ben,"  said  his  wife,  "Joe  says  you  are  going  to 
Boston  on  that  thing  alone  ?  " 

"I'm  going  to  set  out,  Sally.  I  can  tell  you 
better  when  I  come  back,  whether  I  get  there 

or  not." 

"  Suppose  you  should  get  blown  off  to  sea,  and 
never  be  heard  from  again." 

"  Suppose,  what  is  more  likely,  I  shouldn't." 
"  Suppose  the  raft  should  come  to  pieces." 
«  Suppose  it  should  stay  together.    We  never  shall 
save  the  woods,  and  the  beach,  and  all  the  pretty 
things,  if  it  costs  half  the  spars  are  worth  to  get 
them  to  market." 

"  Better  lose  the  island  than  your  life  ;  what  if 
there  should  come  a  big  sea,  and  wash  you  over 
board?" 

«  What,  if  when  the  angels  were  taking  Elijah 
to  heaven,  they  had  let  him  drop  ?  " 


236  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

Perceiving  he  had  fully  made  up  his  mind,  she 
said  no  more,  but  quietly  set  about  preparing  his 
food  for  the  voyage.  This  was  put  under  the  ca 
noe,  which  was  turned  bottom  up  on  the  raft,  and 
lashed. 

There  were  but  four  pieces  of  rope  on  the  whole 
raft,  for  rope  was  high  in  those  days :  these  were 
the  cable,  the  canoe's  painter,  and  the  sheet  and 
halyards  of  the  sail. 

The  logs  were  lashed  with  withes,  as  also  the 
canoe,  water,  and  other  things.  These  withes  were 
of  enormous  strength,  though  stiff  and  hard  to 
handle ;  for  many  of  them  were  as  thick  as  a  man's 
wrist,  which  Ben  twisted  as  though  they  had  been 
willow  switches. 

Ben  had  not  mentioned  his  plan  to  any  one  out 
of  his  own  house,  but,  when  the  wrind  came  in 
strong  from  the  north-east,  set  sail  just  as  the  sun 
came  up. 

The  first  proceeding  of  John  Rhines  at  this  time 
of  year,  when  he  got  out  of  bed,  was  to  look  out 
of  his  window,  to  see  if  there  were  any  wild  geese 
round  that  were  anxious  to  be  shot,  that  he  might 
give  the  alarm  to  his  father.  No  sooner  did  he 
espy  the  novel  craft  come  out  from  the  harbor,  and 
proceed  to  sea,  than  going  down  stairs  three  steps 


BEN'S  NOVEL  SHIP.  237 

at  a  time,  he  shouted,  "  Father !  father !  see  what 
this  is ! " 

"  It  is  a  raft,  that  has  come  down  from  the  head 
of  the  bay,  and  is  going  over  to  Indian  Creek  Mill." 

"  But  it  came  from  Elm  Island  ;  I  saw  it." 

"  You  thought  it  did ;  but  it  came  down  by  it, 
and  appeared  to  you  to  come  from  it." 

"  No,  father ;  it  came  right  out  of  the  harbor,  for 
I  saw  it  with  my  own  eyes." 

"  Get  the  glass,  John ;  that  will  tell  the  story." 
Resting  the  glass  on  the  fence,  he  looked  long  and 
carefully.  At  length  he  said,  "John,  that's  your 
brother  Ben  on  that  raft.  He's  got  half  an  acre 
of  spars,  I  verily  believe  —  all  they  have  cut  this 
winter ;  well,  he's  one  of  the  kind  to  make  a  spoon 
or  spoil  a  horn  —  always  was." 

"  But  where's  he  going  to  ?  " 

"  Boston,  I  expect ;  he's  steering  that  way,  and 
is  making  first-rate  headway,  too." 

Forgetting  all  about  his  breakfast,  John  ran  to 
Uncle  Isaac's,  while  Captain  Rhines  went  in  to  tell 
the  news  to  his  wife. 

"  Ben's  going  to  Boston  on  a  raft ! "  he  shouted ; 
"  O,  come  quick,  or  he'll  be  out  of  sight ! " 

They  watched  him  from  the  hill,  and  then  from 
the  garret  window,  till  he  disappeared  from  view. 


238  LION    BEN    OP    ELM   ISLAND. 

"  If  the  wind  should  come  in  fresh  at  north 
west,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  no  power  on  earth  could 
prevent  his  going  to  sea,  and  that  would  be  the  end 
of  him ; "  but,  noticing  the  look  of  anxiety  upon 
John's  face,  he  said,  "  Come  in  and  take  breakfast 
with  us,  and  then  we'll  see  what  your  father  thinks 
about  it." 

"  Don't  you  think  Ben's  running  a  great  risk  ? " 
asked  Uncle  Isaac  of  Captain  Rhines. 

Now,  Captain  Rhines  had  never  done  much  else, 
except  to  run  risks,  and  therefore  was  not  particu 
larly  sensitive  on  that  score. 

"  It's  a  risk,  that's  certain ;  but  then  it's  a  risk 
that's  well  worth  the  running,  to  get  such  a  tre 
mendous  raft  of  spars  as  that  to  market,  as  you 
may  say,  for  nothing.  The  wind  often  holds  east 
erly,  this  time  of  year,  a  fortnight ;  it's  our  trade- 
wind  ;  he  is  going  every  bit  of  four  knots.  I'll  risk 
Ben ;  he's  one  of  the  kind  that  always  come  on 
their  feet.  There's  not  another  man  in  the  world 
that  looks  as  bad  as  he  does,  that  would  have  got 
Sally  Hadlock.  Nobody  else  could  have  got  Elm 
Island  from  Father  Welch.  I  have  been  trying  to 
buy  it  of  him  these  twenty*years ;  but  he  said  it 
was  his  father's  before  him,  and  he  wouldn't  sell  it, 
for  he  didn't  want  to  see  it  stripped  ;  and  he  knew 


239 

I  would  cut  the  timber  off  the  first  thing.  No,  I'll 
risk  Ben.  Did  I  ever  tell  you  what  a  Yankee  trick 
he  served  a  British  man-of-war,  when  he  was  cap 
tain  of  a  privateer  ?  " 

"  No  ;  what  was  it  ?  I  didn't  know  he  ever  was 
captain." 

"  Well,  he  never  was,  only  in  this  way.  Their 
captain  was  killed  in  action  with  an  armed  mer 
chantman  ;  Ben,  being  lieutenant,  took  charge,  and 
acted  as  captain  the  rest  of  the  cruise.  You  see, 
they  were  cruising  off  the  coast,  to  try  and  cut  off 
some  of  the  English  supply  vessels,  that  were  bring 
ing  provisions  and  ammunition  to  their  armies,  for 
our  folks  were  mighty  short  of  powder,  and  every 
thing  else,  for  the  matter  of  that.  They  were  lying 
by  in  a  thick  fog  —  not  a  breath  of  wind  —  couldn't 
see  your  hand  before  you  ;  and  when  the  fog  lifted 
at  sunrise,  they  were  right  under  the  guns  of  a 
fifty-gun  ship,  that  was  off  there  looking  out  for  the 
expected  transports.  No  squeak  for  them.  What 
does  Ben  do  but  strip  off  his  clothes,  get  into  his 
berth,  and  make  the  doctor  bind  his  right  leg  and 
arm  all  up  with  splinters  and  bandages,  as  though 
they  were  broken,  then  bleed  him,  and  put  the 
blood  over  the  wound,  as  though  it  had  been  done 
by  a  shot !  John  Strout  was  second  mate ;  so  he 


240  LION   BEN   OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

became  first  mate,  or  first  lieutenant,  when  Ben  took 
charge ;  you  know  he  and  Ben  are  like  knife  and 
fork  —  always  together.  The  man-of-war  put  a  prize 
captain  and  crew  on  board,  and  put  Ben's  crew  in 
irons,  and  ordered  her  into  New  York.  They  took 
him  out  of  his  berth,  and  put  him  between  decks 
with  his  men,  which  was  just  what  he  wanted, 
though  he  groaned  and  took  on  terribly  when  they 
were  moving  him,  it  hurt  him  so ;  and  the  doctor 
said  'twas  real  barbarity  to  move  a  patient  in  his 
condition. 

"  The  English  in  time  of  war  were  always  short 
of  seamen,  —  more  so  now  than  ever,  —  as  they 
were  fighting  with  us  and  France  both ;  they  had 
but  few  men  to  spare  for  a  prize  crew ;  they  took 
out  part  of  Ben's  crew,  and  put  the  rest  in  irons ; 
made  a  captain  of  an  old  quartermaster,  with  two 
midshipmen  for  lieutenants ;  gave  them  about  a 
dozen  seamen,  and  three  or  four  petty  officers, 
thinking,  as  'twas  so  short  a  run  into  port,  there 
was  no  great  risk  of  their  meeting  any  Yankee 
cruiser.  Ben  knew  very  well  there  was  no  time  to 
lose,  and  laid  his  plans  with  the  doctor  for  re-tak 
ing  the  vessel  that  very  night.  They  apprehended 
but  little  trouble  from  the  seamen,  who  were  most 
of  them  pressed  men  ;  but  there  were  three  marines 


BEN'S  NOVEL  SHIP.  241 

to  be  got  rid  of,  —  one  on  the  forecastle,  and  one 
at  each  gangway,  and  armed  to  the  teeth.  The 
doctor  secured  the  key  of  the  arm-chest  as  soon 
after  twelve  o'clock  as  the  watch,  who  came  below, 
were  well  asleep.  Ben  took  off  the  splints  and 
bandages,  and  crawling  out  of  his  hammock, 
wrenched  the  handcuffs  from  the  wrists  of  eight 
of  his  men." 

"Who  did  he  let  loose?"  said  Uncle  Isaac; 
"anybody  I  know?" 

"  Yes  ;  John  Strout,  and  black  Caesar,  who  was 
the  strongest  man  in  the  vessel,  except  Ben." 

"  I  knew  him  ;  he  was  a  slave  to  Seth  Valen 
tine,  and  he  gave  him  his  liberty  when  the  war 
broke  out." 

"And  Calvin  Merrithew,  who  was  almost  as 
stout;  and  Ed  Griffin,  brother  to  Joe,  who  was 
killed  afterwards,  with  Jack  Manley,  in  the  Lee 
privateer.  The  rest  of  'em  didn't  belong  round 
here." 

"  I  heard  something  about  it  at  the  time,  but 
never  heard  the  particulars.  But  were  not  these 
sailors  armed  ?  " 

"No;  they  don't  allow  sailors  arms  when  about 
their  duty ;  the  marines  do  all  the  guard  duty ;  the 
sailors  are  only  armed  in  time  of  action.  The 
16 


242  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

doctor  had  a  dog,  who  got  the  end  of  his  tail 
jammed  off  a  day  or  two  before,  under  the  truck 
of  a  gun  carriage.  The  men,  for  deviltry,  would 
touch  it,  to  make  him  sing  out ;  he  got  so  at  last, 
that  if  anybody  pointed  at  it  he  would  howl.  They 
resolved  to  make  the  howl  of  the  dog,  which  was 
too  common  to  attract  attention,  a  signal  for  ac 
tion.  They  dressed  themselves  in  the  hats  mid 
coats  of  the  watch  who  had  turned  in,  that  they 
might  be  taken  in  the  dark  for  men-o'-war's-men. 
Caesar  went  up  the  main  hatch,  passed  the  sentry 
on  the  forecastle,  and  went  into  the  head.  As 
'twas  nothing  uncommon  for  men  to  come  up  in 
the  night,  the  marine  took  no  notice  of  'em.  Mer- 
rithew,  Ed  Griffin,  and  another,  lay  at  the  steps  of 
the  main  hatch,  watching  the  marine  there ;  Ben, 
John  Strout,  and  the  others  at  the  after  hatch. 
The  doctor,  who  went  and  came  without  question, 
pinched  the  dog's  tail,  who  instantly  began  to  howl. 
Ca3sar  felled  the  marine  with  a  blow  of  his  fist,  and 
flung  him  overboard  ;  Merrithew,  rushing  upon  the 
marine  at  the  hatchway,  whose  attention  was  occu 
pied  with  the  noise  on  the  forecastle,  flung  him 
head  foremost  into  the  hold,  while  the  others  put 
on  the  hatches  and  barred  them  down.  In  the 
mean  time  Ben,  rushing  upon  the  sentry  in  the 


BEN'S  NOVEL  SHIP.  243 

gangway,  flung  him  against  the  lieutenant,  who 
was  pacing  the  deck,  with  such  force  as  to  fell  him 
senseless  on  the  planks,  while  the  doctor  locked 
the  cabin  doors,  and  the  rest  barred  down  the  after 
hatches,  then,  seizing  the  boarding-pikes  that  were 
lashed  to  the  main  boom,  joined  their  comrades. 
The  seamen  made  little  or  no  resistance.  A  ter 
rible  noise  and  swearing  were  now  heard  aft;  the 
prize  captain,  having  got  up  on  the  cabin  table, 
with  his  head  out  of  the  skylight,  was  screaming 
to  know  why  the  doors  were  fastened,  and  what 
was  the  matter. 

"  '  Come  out  here  and  see,  my  little  man,'  said 
Ben,  reaching  down,  and  taking  him  by  both  ears, 
he  pulled  him  through  the  skylight,  and  set  him 
astride  a  gun. 

"  '  Who  are  you  ? '  exclaimed  the  astonished  com 
mander. 

" '  This,'  said  the  doctor,  '  is  the  man  with  the 
broken  leg ;  he's  got  well ;  I  never  had  a  patient 
mend  so  rapidly.' " 

"  I  don't  think  that  was  very  civil  treatment  for 
a  prisoner  of  war,"  said  Uncle  Isaac. 

"  It  was  tit  for  tat,"  said  Captain  Rhines.  "  In 
the  first  of  the  war  the  British  frigates  used  to  run 
our  privateers  down,  and  destroy  all  hands,  and 


244  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

starve  and  maltreat  our  prisoners  in  their  hunks ; 
but  they  got  more  civil  in  the  last  of  it.  I  tell 
you,  Ben  would  stick  a  mast  into  Elm  Island,  and 
sail  it  to  Boston,  if  he  undertook  it." 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.  245 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

PETE,  IN  QUEST  OF  REVENGE,  COMES  TO  GEIEF. 

"SAM  HADLOCK,"  said  his  mother,  "they  say 
Ben's  gone  to  Boston  on  a  raft,  all  alone.  I  don't 
believe  it ;  but  go  right  over  and  see  what  it  all 
means,  and  take  Sally's  hens  on." 

Sam  arrived  at  Elrn  Island  about  dusk,  with  the 
hens  and  a  crower.  The  first  thing  a  rooster  does, 
upon  finding  himself  in  a  strange  place,  is  to  flap 
his  wings  and  crow,  in  order  that  it  may  be  known 
he  is  round.  The  next  morning,  as  the  daylight 
shone  in  between  the  logs  of  the  hovel,  he  raised 
his  cry  of  defiance  to  all  things  in  general,  and 
everybody  in  particular. 

Now,  although  the  squawks  had  been  in  posses 
sion  of  the  island  from  time  immemorial,  they  had 
never  heard  a  rooster  crow,  or  even  seen  one.  The 
instant  that  shrill,  defiant  voice  rose  on  the  morn 
ing  air,  saying,  "  I'm  somebody ;  who  are  you  ? " 
every  squawk  on  the  island  uttered  his  loudest 
yell.  This  startled  the  herons  and  fish-hawks ;  the 


246  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

crows  joined  the  chorus,  and  Sailor  exerted  his 
lungs  to  the  utmost.  Sally  woke  up  in  alarm,  and 
was  for  some  time  unable  to  account  for  the  terrible 
uproar.  It  was  a  week  before  the  Elmites  would 
permit  the  rooster  to  crow,  or  a  hen  to  cackle,  in 
peace.  The  moment  he  •  attempted  it,  the  whole 
community  combined  to  drown  his  voice,  and  re 
buke  his  presumption ;  but,  after  a  while,  they 
began  to  recognize  him  as  an  adopted  citizen  of 
that  of  which  they  had  so  long  been  the  sole  occu 
pants.  It  was  laughable  to  see  with  what  gravity 
they  would  cluster  on  the  trees,  at  the  edge  of  the 
woods  near  the  house,  and,  with  their  keen  eyes, 
stare  at  him  and  his  dames.  Now  and  then  a  great 
blue  heron  would  sail  lazily  overhead,  when,  -the 
cock  raising  the  cry  of  alarm,  all  would  scud  for 
the  barn  ;  but  they  learned,  after  a  while,  that  none 
of  the  original  inhabitants  were  to  be  feared,  except 
the  eagles. 

The  next  morning,  after  the  arrival  of  the  hens, 
a  calf,  bright  red,  with  a  white  star  in  his  forehead, 
and  white  on  his  fore  legs  and  the  end  of  his  tail, 
made  his  appearance. 

Sally  was  delighted  ;  the  birth  of  the  calf  opened 
a  prospect  not  only  of  milk,  of  which  they  had  been 
deprived  for  two  months,  but  of  butter.  It  was 


PETE    COMES    TO    GRIEF.  247 

also  the  first  domestic  animal  that  had  been  born 
on  the  island ;  besides,  there  are  so  many  pleasant 
memories  of  childhood  connected  with  a  "  bossy," 
that  it  seemed  a  great  affair  to  Sally  in  her  lonely 
situation.  She  scarcely  ever  came  in  from  the 
barn  but  her  sleeves  were  all  chewed  up,  in  conse 
quence  of  stopping  to  pet  the  calf. 

"  How  much  it  seems  like  home,"  said  she  to  Joe, 
"to  have  a  calf  to  pet,  and  hear  it  crying  for  the 
cow  !  to  hear  a  rooster  crow,  and  hens  cackle,  and 
have  eggs  to  hunt  after !  I  used  to  think,  when  I 
first  came  on  here,  it  would  be  music  to  hear  a  pig 
squeal." 

"  I  .can  give  you  music,"  said  Joe,  and  set  up  a 
cry  so  much  like  that  of  a  pig  in  his  last  agonies, 
that  Sally  was  glad  to  stop  her  ears.  He  then  be 
gan  to  make  a  noise  like  a  calf  in  trouble,  which 
soon  brought  the  mother  running  from  the  woods, 
where  she  had  been  browsing  upon  maples  that  Joe 
had  cut  down  for  her. 

Peter  Clash  embraced  the  first  opportunity  in  the 
spring  to  ship  in  a  fishing  vessel,  being  in  mortal 
fear  of  Uncle  Isaac,  who,  Joe  Griffin  had  told  him, 
had  Indian  blood  in  him,  and  would  carry  him  into 
the  woods  and  roast  him  alive,  as  he  had  been 
taught  to  do  among  the  Indians.  But  he  was 


248  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

determined,  before  he  departed,  to  revenge  himself 
upon  Uncle  Isaac,  and  inflict  some  injury  upon 
John  Rhines.  He  hated  John,  although  he  had 
never  injured  him,  because  he  was  a  good  boy,  and 
Uncle  Isaac  and  everybody  liked  him.  Although 
two  years  older,  he  feared  to  attack  him.  lie 
talked  with  the  boys  who  were  most  under  his  in 
fluence,  and  by  ingenious  falsehoods  contrived  to 
prejudice  them  against  him,  by  possessing  them 
with  the  idea  that  John  helped  Uncle  Isaac  set  the 
trap,  and  was  in  the  bushes  with  him  watching 
them  when  it  sprung. 

"  I  hate  him,  too,"  said  Jack  Godsoe,  whose  mind 
Pete  had  completely  warped  to  his  own  interest, 
and  who  was  also  older  than  John,  and  a  smart, 
resolute  boy. 

"  He  thinks  he's  too  good  to  play  with  us,  be 
cause  his  father  is  captain,  and  lives  in  a  big  house, 
and  because  he  goes  with  Uncle  Isaac ;  I  hate  him  ; 
let's  lick  him,  and  take  some  of  that  grand  feeling 
out  of  him." 

They  seated  themselves  on  the  beach,  under  a 
great  willow  that  hung  over  the  bank,  in  earnest 
consultations  as  to  the  best  means  of  revenging 
themselves  upon  Uncle  Isaac.  Jack  proposed  they 
should  pull  up  his  corn. 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.  249 

"  That,"  said  Fred  Williams,  "  is  too  much  work, 
and  he  could  plant  it  over  again." 

"  Let  us  put  his  sheep  in  the  well,"  said  Sam 
S  mikes. 

"  It's  too  near  the  house,"  said  Pete  ;  "  we  shall 
be  caught ;  besides,  it  wouldn't  be  bad  enough  for 
the  '  old  cuss ; '  he  could  get  them  out,  and  would 
save  the  wool  and  the  pelts,  for  they  are  not  sheared. 
O !  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do ;  we'll  kill  his  apple 
trees." 

Uncle  Isaac  had  an  orchard  in  full  bearing,  that 
he  valued  very  highly,  having,  at  a  great  deal  of 
labor  and  expense,  obtained  the  trees  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Deane,  of  Portland.  They  were  most  of 
them  grafted,  —  a  rare  thing  in  those  parts  at  that 
day,  —  as  Dr.  Deane  understood  the  art  and  mystery 
of  grafting.  They  determined  to  girdle  all  these 
trees,  which  would  be  a  most  severe  blow  to  Uncle 
Isaac,  as  he  had  watched  over  them  for  twenty 
years ;  and  they  were  now  in  full  bearing,  having 
been  planted  on  a  burn  among  the  ashes,  and  had 
thriven  apace  in  the  new,  strong  soil.  It  could 
also  be  accomplished  without  risk  of  detection,  as 
the  orchard  was  at  a  distance  from  the  house.  The 
meanness  of  the  act  seemed  greater,  because  of 
the  generous  nature  of  the  owner,  who  was  not  a 


250  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

niggard  of  his  fruit,  but  gave  the  boys  all  the 
apples  and  cider  they  wanted.  The  fact  that  this 
villanous  plan  was  eagerly  assented  to  by  the  rest, 
shows  to  what  an  extent  the  example  and  influence 
of  Pete  had  corrupted  these  boys.  They  thought 
themselves  secure  from  interruptions,  as  they  com 
manded  from  the  place  where  they  sat  a  view  of 
the  whole  beach,  and,  becoming  excited,  talked  in 
a  louder  tone  than  they  were  aware  of. 

"  I'll  set  a  trap  for  him  that  will  make  him  ache 
as  much  as  his  trap  did  me,"  said  Pete,  chuckling. 
But  doubtful  things  are  uncertain. 

John's  mother  had  sent  him  on  that  morning 
after  some  willow  bark,  to  color  with.  He  directed 
his  steps  to  the  great  willow,  and  coming  upon  the 
party  before  they  were  aware  of  it,  heard  the  latter 
part  of  their  conversation.  Pete  espied  him,  and 
jumping  up,  in  a  pleasant  tone  invited  him  to  come 
down  among  them,  when  John,  who  had  not  heard 
that  portion  of  the  consultation  which  related  to 
himself,  complied  :  they  all,  at  a  wink  from  Pete, 
surrounded  him,  who  now  thought  proper  to  change 
his  tone. 

"  You  heard  what  we  were  saying  about  ? "  he 
inquired,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  Uncle  Isaac's. 

"  Yes." 


PETE    COMES    TO    GRIEF.  251 

"  And  you'll  tell  him  of  it  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"Ain't  that  just  what  I  told  you?"  said  he, 
turning  to  the  other  boys;  "just  such  a  mean, 
low-lived  fellow  as  he  is ;  go  and  peach  on  his  play 
mates  ! " 

"  I  should  think  if  anything  was  mean,  it  was 
barking  a  man's  apple  trees  in  the  night." 

Now,  Pete  was  more  anxious  to  bark  the  apple 
trees  than  he  was  to  lick  John  ;  so  he  replied,  — 

"  Well,  if  we  will  promise  to  give  it  up,  will  you 
promise  to  say  nothing  about  it  ?  " 

Pete's  design  in  this  was  to  prevent  Uncle  Isaac 
being  put  on  his  guard,  to  bark  the  trees  that  night, 
and  go  off  the  next  morning,  leaving  the  other  boys 
to  take  the  consequences.  He  knew  if  John  gave 
his  word  he'd  keep  it.  But  John  fathomed  their 
design ;  and  although  they  could  trust  him,  he 
would  not  trust  them^  and  refused. 

At  this  Pete  said,  "  You're  a  mean  fellow ;  I've 
owed  you  a  hiding  this  long  time,  and  now  you'll 
get  it," 

"  You  can't  begin  to  do  it." 

"  We  all  can,"  cried  Jack. 

John,  seeing  there  was  no  help  for  it,  determined 
to  have  the  first  blow,  and  before  the  words  were 


252  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

fairly  out  of  Jack's  mouth,  knocked  him  down;  but 
as  the  ground  was  descending,  and  the  sand  af 
forded  poor  footing,  he  fell  forward  with  the  force 
of  his  own  blow,  and  came  upon  one  knee.  They 
all  piled  on  top,  but  John  threw  them  off.  By  a 
well-directed  blow  he  sent  Fred  yelling  from  the 
conflict,  and  would  have  gained  his  feet  and  handled 
the  whole  of  them,  had  not  Jack  recovered,  and, 
catching  him  by  the  hair,  pulled  him  down  again. 

"  Now,"  cried  Pete,  as  cruel  as  he  was  cowardly, 
"  let's  lick  him  within  an  inch  of  his  life." 

Finding  he  was  to  receive  no  quarter,  John  be 
gan  to  shout  for  aid.  Tige  was  sleeping  in  the  sun 
before  the  door,  as  dogs  always  sleep,  with  one  ear 
open.  The  instant  he  heard  the  cry,  he  got  up, 
stretched  himself,  gaped,  and  listened.  It  was  re 
peated.  He  leaped  the  front  yard  fence  at  a  bound, 
and  in  a  moment  was  running  full  speed  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  noise.  Captain  Rhines,  who  recog 
nized  John's  voice,  followed  him.  A  narrow  path 
led  down  the  bank  to  the  beach,  where  the  scuffle 
was  going  on,  and  which  was  hard  trodden  and 
polished  by  the  frequent  tramping  of  the  boys,  who 
resorted  there  to  swing  on  the  great  willow,  whose 
limbs  hung  over  the  beach,  and  to  make  whistles. 
So  headlong  was  the  speed  of  the  dog,  that,  his 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.  253 

feet  slipping  upon  the  smooth  path,  he  turned  a 
complete  somerset  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of 
the  bank,  and  came  down  upon  his  back  among 
these  little  fiends,  while  employed  in  their  work 
of  torture,  thus  affording  them  a  moment's  respite 
while  he  was  picking  himself  up.  With  all  the 
speed  the  fear  of  instant  death  could  inspire,  they 
fled  along  the  beach,  with  the  exception  of  Smike, 
who,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  catching  a  limb 
of  the  willow,  was  in  a  few  moments  among  its 
topmost  branches,  screaming  with  all  his  might. 
Pete  was  the  hindmost.  With  a  horrible  growl, 
Tige  sprung  upon  him  and  crushed  him  to  the 
earth.  He  bit  through  both  his  hands,  with  which 
he  strove  to  defend  his  throat,  tore  away  half  of 
his  chin,  and,  taking  him  by  the  back,  shook  him  as 
he  would  a  woodchuck. 

The  dog  now  pursued  Fred,  whom  he  bit  through 
both  thighs  and  arms,  and,  as  the  others  were  out 
of  sight,  would  have  killed  him,  had  not  John 
compelled  him  to  desist  by  cramming  his  cap  into 
his  mouth,  and  coaxing  and  scolding  him. 

The  Newfoundland  dog  is  very  slow  to  wrath, 
but  ferocious  enough  w^hen  once  aroused.  Tige's 
rugged  temper,  excited  by  the  strongest  possible 
provocation,  —  injury  to  the  person  of  his  friend, — 


254  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

was  now  thoroughly  up  ;  his  eyes  were  green  with 
rage,  his  lips  covered  with  foam ;  his  great  tearing 
teeth  stood  out,  and  every  hair  on  his  body  was 
erect. 

As  Captain  Rhines  came  up,  the  blood  was  spirt 
ing  in  jets  from  Fred's  right  leg.  "  God  o'  mercy ! " 
cried  he,  "the  arter  is  cut;"  and,  clapping  his 
thumb  on  the  place,  stopped  the  flow  of  blood  in  a 
moment. 

"  John,"  cried  he,  "  take  off  my  garter  and  put  it 
twice  round  his  leg,  above  the  bite,  and  tie  the  ends 
together." 

John  did  as  he  was  directed. 

"  Now  get  a  stick  and  twist  it." 

John  twisted. 

"  Twist  harder ;  twist  with  all  your  might. 
Now  run  to  Dr.  Ricker's,  and  tell  him  to  come  to 
our  house  with  tools  to  tie  an  arter,  as  quick  as 
he  can." 

"Will  he  die,  father?" 

"  No  ;  I  hope  not ;  but  he  would  have  been  dead 
in  two  minutes  more,  if  I  had  not  stopped  that 
blood." 

He  now  took  the  boy  in  his  arms,  and  carried 
him  to  his  own  house,  while  Tige  lay  down  at  the 
foot  of  the  willow  to  keep  watch  of  Smike. 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.          255 

The  doctor  said  that  the  boy  must  not  be  moved ; 
and  his  mother  came  to  take  care  of  him.  John 
now  went  down,  called  off  Tige,  and  liberated 
Smike  from  the  tree. 

"  John,"  said  the  captain,  after  the  excitement  was 
over,  "  did  you  set  the  dog  on  those  boys  ?  " 

"  No,  father ;  they  had  me  down  on  the  ground, 
beating  me  ;  I  screamed  for  help,  and  Tige  came 
and  went  right  at  'em.  I  got  him '  off  of  Fred  as 
soon  as  I  could,  but  he  wouldn't  mind  me ;  and  he 
was  so  savage  I  was  afraid  of  him  myself." 

"  What  did  they  beat  you  for  ?  " 

"  They  were  all  sitting  on  the  beach,  planning 
out  to  pull  Uncle  Isaac's  corn  up,  throw  his  sheep 
in  the  well,  and  girdle  his  apple  trees ;  because  I 
overheard  'em,  and  wouldn't  promise  not  to  tell 
him,  they  pitched  into  me.  I  believe  I  could  have 
whipped  the  whole  of  them,  if  I  hadn't  fell  down." 

"  I  wouldn't  have  believed  that  of  boys  raised 
round  here  ;  it's  a  pity  Tige  hadn't  finished  that 
Pete  ;  he  was  at  the  bottom  of  it." 

When  Pete  recovered  from  his  wounds  he  left 
the  place.  The  parents  of  the  others  gave  them  a 
severe  whipping,  in  consequence  of  which  Jack 
Godsoe  ran  away  from  home,  but  the  others  left  off 
their  tricks,  and  became  steady,  industrious  boys. 


256  LION   BEN    OF   ELM   ISLAND. 

"On  deck  there!"  cried  Captain  Rhines,  from 
the  roof  of  the  house,  where  he  was  stopping 
a  leak. 

"  What  is  it,  father  ? "  said  John. 

"  Tell  your  mother  Ben  has  just  come  round 
Birch  Point  in  his  canoe,  and  is  going  across  to 
the  island ;  I  guess  he  wants  to  kiss  Sally,  for 
he's  making  the  canoe  go  through  the  water  like 
blazes." 

The  next  morning  they  saw  fiim  coming  off  in 
the  canoe. 

"  Well,  Ben,"  said  his  father,  after  the  greeting 
had  passed,  "  when  I  was  young,  folks  didn't  go  to 
sea  without  bidding  their  folks  good  by.  Now, 
give  an  account  of  yourself." 

Ben,  who  knew  his  father,  old  sailor  like,  would 
want  to  know  the  details  of  the  passage,  said,  "By 
twelve  o'clock  the  first  night  I  was  up  with  Pur- 
pooduck,  right  off  the  pitch  of  the  cape ;  the  wind 
was  very  strong  and  steady  from  sunrise  till  mid 
night." 

"I  know  it  was  ;  for  I  was  up  watching  it." 

"  It  then  died  away  to  a  flat  calm ;  and  as  the 
flood  tide  was  drifting  me  into  Portland  Sound,  I 
anchored  and  made  a  fire." 

"What  on?" 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.  257 

"  A  flat  stone  I  carried  ;  made  a  cup  of  tea,  and 
slept  till  daylight,  when  the  wind,  blowing  the 
smoke  in  my  face,  woke  me.  The  wind  held,  and 
plenty  of  it.  I  run  her  all  day  and  all  night,  and 
by  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  I  was  up  with 
Cape  Ann,  when  it  fell  calm.  It  was  flood  tide;  I 
went  to  sleep  and  let  her  drift.  When  I  woke  up, 
the  tide  had  carried  me,  with  a  little  air  of  wind 
there  was,  up  to  East  Point ;  and,  in  the  course  of 
the  day  and  night,  I  tied  her  to  Long  Wharf,  Bos 
ton  —  not  much  sorry." 

«  What  did  Mr.  Welch  say  ?" 

"He  was  somewhat  astonished.  There  were 
hundreds  of  people  on  the  wharf  to  look  at  me  or 
the  raft,  I  don't  know  which.  I  got  there  in  a 
good  time.  There  were  a  great  many  vessels  there, 
from  Europe,  after  spars  —  especially  big  masts.  I 
sold  enough  to  pay  for  half  the  island,  and  I  haven't 
cleared  a  quarter  of  it ;  but  that  is  not  the  best 
of  it." 

"  I  should  think  that  was  good  enough  ;  what 
can  be  any  better  ?  " 

"  I  sold  all  the  timber  that  I  used  to  confine  the 

raft  (and  that  was  full  of  holes)  for  wharf  stuff — 

the  cable,  sail,  everything  but  the  compass,  canoe, 

and  tea-kettle.     I  got  a  chance  to  pilot  a  French 

17 


258  LION   BEN   OP   ELM   ISLAND. 

ship,  that  was  bound  to  Portland  for  lumber  and 
horses,  and  got  a  round  price  for  it.  They  took  the 
canoe  on  the  ship's  deck.  In  Portland  I  found  a 
schooner  bound  to  Nova  Scotia ;  they  took  me  to 
Gull  Rock,  and  I  rowed  home.  Thus  I  got  mighty 
good  pay  for  doing  my  own  work." 

"  Well,  Ben,  at  that  rate  I  would  cut  every  stick 
off  the  island,  and  sell  the  island  for  whatever  any 
body,  who  is  fool  enough  to  live  there,  will  give, 
and  come  on  to  the  main  land,  and  buy  a  place 
among  folks." 

"  Not  yet,  father ;  that  is,  if  Sally  likes  to  live 
there.  I  wouldn't  swap  it  for  the  best  place  and 
house  in  town." 

Ben  was  now  reduced  to  a  single  yoke  of  oxen,  as 
those  he  had  hired  were  needed  at  home,  arid  with 
out  them  he  could  not  handle  spars,  which  must  be 
hauled  some  distance ;  but  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  island  was  a  place  where  the  rocks,  undermined 
by  the  frosts  and  sea,  had  fallen  into  the  water. 
He  cut  the  trees  around  it  into  mill-logs  that  were 
not  fit  for  spars,  rolled  them  down  the  chasm  into 
the  water,  towed  them  to  the  mill,  bringing  back 
the  boards,  and  sticking  them  up  on  the  shore  to 
season.  Thus  they  worked  all  through  the  sum 
mer,  despite  of  black  flies  and  mosquitos. 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.  259 

They  then  cut  a  lot  of  cedar,  and  piled  it  up  to 
dry  with  the  boards. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  all  this  cedar  ?  " 
said  Joe  ;  "  and  why  don't  you  sell  your  boards  at 
the  mill,  instead  of  bringing  them  back  here  ?  " 

"  I  won't  tell  you,"  said  Ben ;  "  so  you  needn't 
ask  me." 

In  September,  Joe,  who  had  agreed  to  go  on  a 
fishing  trip  with  John  Strout,  left,  and  Ben  was 
once  more  alone. 

Let  us  now  see  how  matters  are  going  with  Fred, 
who,  by  fright,  wounds,  loss  of  blood,  and  remorse 
of  conscience,  was  brought  well  nigh  to  death's 
door.  For  a  long  time  he  was  so  reduced,  and 
in  such  a  state  of  stupor,  as  not  to  know  where 
he  was ;  but  as  he  regained  strength  and  percep 
tion,  it  mortified  and  stung  him  to  the  quick  to  find 
himself  in  the  house,  and  the  object  of  care  and 
solicitude  to  those  whom  he  had  so  recently  in 
jured ;  for,  notwithstanding  the  mean,  cowardly 
treatment  John  had  received  from  Fred,  he  was 
unremitting  in  his  attentions  to  him,  —  sleeping  in 
the  same  room,  and  ministering  to  all  his  wants. 
It  is  wonderful  to  what  lengths  a  boy  of  a  nat 
urally  kind  and  generous  nature  may  be  induced 
to  go  in  wickedness,  —  and  mean  wickedness,  too, 


260  LION   BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

—  through  the  influence  of  evil  examples  and  com 
panionship. 

Such  a  boy  was  Fred ;  and  this  kind  treatment 
was  perfect  torture.  At  length  he  could  bear  it  no 
longer ;  but  upon  a  night  when  he  had  been  fever 
ish  and  very  restless,  and  John  had  been  up  great 
part  of  the  night,  bathing  his  head,  and  giving  him 
drink  and  medicines,  he  said,  while  his  voice  was 
choked  with  sobs,  "  O,  John,  I  don't  deserve  all 
this  kindness  at  your  hands ;  I  don't  see  how  I 
could  ever  have  gone  in  with  that  miserable  Pete, 
and  those  boys,  to  hurt  you.  If  I  ever  get  well, 
I'll  be  a  better  boy,  and  try  to  show  you  and  your 
folks  that  I  am  not  ungrateful." 

He  had  made  promises  of  amendment  to  John 
before,  especially  when  suffering  under  the  smart 
of  the  fish-hook.  They  came  from  the  lips  then  — 
a  repentance  in  view  of  consequences ;  but  Tige's 
teeth  went  deeper  than  the  fish-hook,  and  this  time 
they  came  from  the  heart. 

Little  Fannie  now  came  down  to  see  her  brother. 
The  first  thing  she  did,  upon  entering  the  house, 
was  to  put  both  arms  round  Tige's  neck,  and  tell 
him  he  shouldn't  be  whipped  if  he  did  do  naughty 
things,  for  Captain  Rhines  said  so. 

Fred's  father  was  a  stern,  passionate  man,  who 


PETE  COMES  TO  GEIEF.          261 

did  not  secure  the  affections  of  his  children.  His 
mother  was  a  fretful,  teasing  woman  ;  thought  she 
had  to  work  harder,  and  had  more  to  try  her  than 
anybody  else  in  the  world ;  didn't  see  what  she 
had  so  many  children  for ;  when  the  window  was 
down  she  wanted  it  up,  and  when  it. was  up  she 
wanted  it  down ;  was  never  suited.  She  was  a 
great  deal  more  inclined  to  scold  her  children  for 
doing  wrong,  than  to  praise  them  for  doing  well. 
The  doctor  said  Fred  would  never  get  well,  if  his 
mother  took  care  of  him,  she  kept  such  a  fuss,  and 
made  him  uneasy ;  so  Mrs.  Rhines  told  her  there 
were  a  good  many  of  them,  and  they  could  take 
care  of  him  as  well  as  not,  and  had  plenty  of  room ; 
that  she  had  a  great  family,  with  much  to  do,  and 
young  children ;  their  dog  did  the  harm,  and  they 
would  take  care  of  him. 

As  Fred  began  to  mend,  Mrs.  Rhines  would  take 
her  work  and  sit  down  by  him  in  the  afternoon, 
and  talk  with  him  as  she  did  with  her  own  chil 
dren  ;  in  her  kind,  motherly  way,  tell  him  of  the 
results  of  vice,  and  the  inducements  to  a  virtuous 
course ;  and,  as  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks, 
wiped  them  away,  soothing  and  encouraging  him, 
till  the  boy's  inmost  soul  responded  to  her  teach 
ings.  His  eyes  would  light  up  with  satisfaction 


262  LION    BEN    OF    ELM    ISLAND. 

when  he  saw  her  take  her  knitting  work  to  sit  by 
his  bedside. 

Not  long  after  Fred  had  given  vent  to  his  feel 
ings,  John,  meeting  Uncle  Isaac  on  the  beach,  said 
to  him,  "  I  believe  Fred  would  be  right  glad  to  see 
you,  but  don't  like  to  say  so." 

"  Well,  I'll  happen  in." 

So  he  happened  in.  What  passed  between  them 
was  never  known ;  but  the  next  day  Fred  said  to 
John,  "  Uncle  Isaac's  a  good  man  —  ain't  he  ?  " 

"  Good  !     He's  the  goodest  man  that  ever  was." 

Not  many  days  after  he  happened  in  again,  when 
Fred  said  to  him,  "  I  have  an  uncle  in  Salem  that's 
a  tanner  and  shoemaker.  He  and  I  were  always 
great  friends ;  he  wants  me  to  come  and  live  with 
him,  and  learn  the  trade.  Father  has  said  a  great 
many  times  that  I  am  such  a  bad  boy,  and  plague 
him  so  much,  that  he  should  be  glad  if  I  was  there. 
I've  been  thinking  while  on  this  bed,  that  since  I 
have  got  such  a  bad  name  round  here,  it  would  be 
a  good  thing  to  go  where  nobody  knows  me,  or 
what  I  have  done,  and  begin  brand  fire  new." 

"The  tanner's  trade  is  a  first-rate  one,  and  I 
should  like  to  have  you  learn  it;  but  the  place 
where  you  have  lost  your  character,  Fred,  is  the  very 
place  to  get  it  again.  There  was  a  man  lived  in 


PETE  COMES  TO  GEIEF.  263 

Rowley,  who  was  accused  of  stealing  a  sheep.  He 
said  he  wouldn't  stay  in  a  place  where  he  was  so 
slandered,  and  moved  to  Newbury.  He  had  not 
been  there  a  fortnight  when  the  report  came  that 
he  had  stolen  three  sheep  when  he  lived  in  Row 
ley,  and  he  moved  back  again." 

"  But  everybody  will  scorn  me ;  and  when  I  go 
to  school  the  boys  will  twit  me  of  it,  and  holler 
after  me  when  I  go  along  the  road." 

"  No  boy  or  man,  whose  opinion  is  worth  mind 
ing,  will  do  it  when  they  see  you  mean  to  mend  ; 
besides,  you  ought  to  be  willing  to  suffer  some  mor 
tification  on  account  of  the  sorrow  you  have  caused 
your  parents  and  friends,  and  for  all  the  mischief 
you  have  done,  and  meant  to  do." 

"  That  is  true ;  and  I  am  willing  they  may  say 
or  do  what  they  like  ;  I'll  face  it." 

"  That's  right ;  that's  bravely  spoken,"  said  Cap 
tain  Rhines,  laying  his  great  hand  upon  the  pale 
forehead  of  the  sick  boy ;  you'll  live  it  down,  and 
be  thought  more  of  for  it.  'You  see,  my  son,  build 
ing  character  is  just  like  building  a  vessel.  We 
build  a  vessel  model,  fasten,  spar,  and  rig  her  the 
best  we  know  how,  and  think  she'll  prove  service 
able  ;  still  Ave  don't  know  that.  But  when  she's 
made  a  winter  passage  across  the  western  ocean, 


264  LION    BEN    OF    ELM   ISLAND. 

and  the  captain  writes  home  that  she  is  tight,  and 
sails  and  works  well  in  all  weathers,  then  you  see 
that  vessel's  got  a  character ;  sailors  like  to  go  in 
her,  and  merchants  like  to  put  freight  in  her.  That 
will  be  the  way  witn  you ;  people  will  say  there's 
good  stuff  at  bottom  in  that  boy ;  he's  been  through 
the  mill." 

"  But,"  said  the  poor  boy,  "  who  will  believe  that 
I'm  going  to  be  a  good  boy  ?  and  who  will  go  with 
me  at  the  first  of  it,  while  I'm  proving  myself  ?  " 

"  John  will  go  with  you,  and  our  girls." 

"  I,"  said  Uncle  Isaac,  "  will  get  Henry  Griffin  to 
go  with  you.  Pete  tried  to  get  hold  of  him,  but 
he  didn't  make  out.  I'll  get  him  to  come  down 
and  see  you  to-morrow." 

When  the  cool  weather  came  on,  Fred  gained 
strength,  went  to  school,  and  began  to  help  his 
father  in  the  mill. 

It  was  remarkable  how  soon  people  began  to  no 
tice  the  change  in  him,  and  to  say,  "  What  a  smart 
boy  Fred  Williams  is  getting  to  be !  and  how  much 
help  he  is  to  his  father ! "  He  could  not  have  been 
placed  in  a  better  position  to  have  his  light  shine, 
than  in  a  mill,  where  everybody  in  the  whole  town 
came,  and  were  convinced  of  the  shrewd  wisdom 
of  Uncle  Isaac's  declaration,  that  the  place  to  look 


PETE  COMES  TO  GRIEF.  265 

for  a  thing  was  where  you  lost  it ;  the  place  to  re 
gain  confidence,  where  you  had  forfeited  it. 

Our  readers  will  recollect  the  longing  for  some 
kindred  spirit  near  his  own  age,  which  John  ex 
pressed  to  his  mother.  That  desire  was  now  to  be 
gratified  in  a  most  wonderful  manner,  as  will  be 
seen  in  the  next  volume  of  "  Elm  Island  Stories," 
entitled  CHARLIE  BELL,  THE  WAIF  OF  ELM 
ISLAND  ;  and  we  cannot  help  thinking  it  must 
have  been  as  a  reward  for  his  remarkable  conduct 
towards  Fred. 


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"  Genius  comes  in  with  '  Little  Prudy.'  Compared  with  her,  all  other 
book-children  are  cold  creations  of  Literature  only ;  she  alone  is  the  real 
thing.  All  the  quaintness  of  childhood,  its  originality,  its  tenderness  and 
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delicious  oddity  of  its  prayers,  —  all  these  waited  for  dear  Little  Prudy  to 
embody  them.  Sam  Weller  is  not  more  piquant ;  Hans  Andersen's  nut 
crackers  and  knitting-needles  are  not  more  thoroughly  charged  with  life. 
Who  is  our  benefactress  in  the  authorship  of  these  books  the  world  knows 
not.  Scphie  May  must  doubtless  be  a  fancy  name,  by  reason  of  the  spell- 
ing,  and  we  have  only  to  be  grateful  that  the  author  did  not  inflict  on  U8 
the  customary  alliteration  in  her  pseudonyme.  The  rare  gift  of  delineating 
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the  earth To  those  oversaturated  with  transatlantic  traditions,  w« 

recommend  a  course  of  '  Little  Prudy.'  " 

Copies  of  any  of  the  aloove  "books  sent  by  mail  on  rec-expt 
cf  prisa. 

1.EE     AND     SHEPARD, 

PUBLISHERS, 

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